2 weeks Ago By P Oppili
Chennai: It is two weeks since wildlife officials stumbled upon a tip of an iceberg when they seized a pair of tusks stolen from the strong room at Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, where all seized wildlife trophies are stored for ages. So far, the prime suspect is yet to be traced and arrested, no inventory of the valuables kept at the strong room has been taken and head of the investigation team, Assistant Director Manikanda Prabhu , has gone on ‘long leave' jeopardising the exercise. A senior wildlife official said the stock-taking process could not be completed because of Prabhu's sudden departure.
The zoo management formed a new committee headed by Deputy Director H Dileep Kumar last Monday. However, despite this change in leadership, the inventorisation process remained unfinished as of Thursday evening. A report on the incident was due earlier in the week, but the delays have pushed the submission deadline further.
Meanwhile, the prime suspect in the case, a temporary zoo worker named Sathish, has remained untraceable for two weeks. Authorities have struggled to make headway in the investigation. Attempts to gather updates from top officials were met with minimal success.
When contacted, Forest Secretary P Senthil Kumar referred queries to Zoo Director Ashish Kumar Srivastava, but both he and Deputy Director Dileep Kumar failed to respond to calls. The situation inside the zoo has raised alarm among conservationists, who said the seized wildlife trophies, including ivory and animal skins, were stored in a poorly secured area. This lack of security has been a long-standing issue, with previous warnings going unaddressed.
Conservationists are now urging stricter protective measures and the periodic destruction of seized wildlife items to prevent further thefts. The lack of prompt action has put the zoo under scrutiny, as concerns about accountability and proper management continue to grow..
