Several shocking allegations have emerged surrounding Kolkata’s 148-year-old Alipore Zoo. City-based voluntary organisation ‘Swajan’ has filed a case in the Calcutta High Court, alleging that the zoo’s animal population was 672 at the end of the financial year 2023-24. But at the beginning of the 2024-25 financial year, that number has dropped to 351. This means 321 animals ‘disappeared’ in just one night!

A 30-year-long discrepancy

This huge discrepancy was detected in the ‘Annual Inventory of Animals in Zoos’ report of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). In a petition filed in the Calcutta High Court on July 1, the organisation claimed that this is an unprecedented distortion of information and such irregularities have been going on for 30 years.

A media analysis has revealed that for 30 consecutive years since 1995-96, there have been discrepancies in the annual reports of zoo animal numbers. Sometimes 5, sometimes 10, sometimes 200-300 animals have decreased or increased due to ‘unknown’ reasons. For example, on March 31, 1996, there were 1,805 animals in the Alipore Zoo, but on April 1, that number increased to 1,872. Such discrepancies in the figures have been observed every year.

Inventory reports for FY22 and FY23 not yet submitted

Even the inventory reports for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not been submitted, which is mandatory every year. According to the latest report published on March 31, 2025, the zoo currently claims to have 1,184 animals.

Surprisingly, the Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, rhinoceros, elephant, leopard, jackal, etc., which were included in the 2024 list, have not been mentioned in the 2025 list. However, recent videos and photos taken by visitors prove that these animals are still in the zoo!

When quizzed on the same, Zoo Director Arun Mukherjee told media, “This discrepancy is just a calculation error. There is a mess in our internal accounts and the CZA report, we are trying to fix it. We are working on that issue. We will tell you the details later.”

Illegal wildlife trafficking?

“This unusual number of animal disappearances indicate not only administrative negligence but also illegal wildlife trafficking,” said Subhovrata Ghosh, Wildlife Research Manager at World Animal Protection India.

“A miscalculation for one or two years is acceptable, but such a discrepancy over 30 years is absolutely unacceptable,” he further said.

Allegations of selling Alipore zoo land for commercial use against state government

The petition further claims that there is a deeper conspiracy behind the artificial reduction of the animal population. The NGO alleges that the zoo’s animals are being reduced, and now the land is also being reduced. In this way, the plan is to gradually destroy the existence of the zoo and hand over the land to private real estate.

Allegedly, as per the West Bengal government’s plan, a crucial 3-acre plot of land at 34A, Belvedere Road, Alipore Zoo is being sold for commercial use.
This land houses the zoo’s veterinary hospital, rescue centre, autopsy unit, and public aquarium. However, the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation has put out an e-tender for this land for commercial use.

Zoo authorities said the matter is currently under court proceedings, so they are reluctant to comment.

Alipore Zoo registered as ‘medium-sized zoo’: ‘deliberate shrinkage’?

According to CZA guidelines, a zoo is considered a ‘large zoo’ if it has more than 700 animals and a diversity of native and exotic species. The Alipore Zoo, which used to meet this standard, has now been registered as a ‘medium-sized zoo’ due to its declining population. The petition calls this a government-driven ‘deliberate shrinkage’.

Demand for increased surveillance in zoos across India

There are currently 157 recognized zoos in the country. In the Alipore Zoo incident, Shubhrata Ghosh has demanded transparency in the entire management. He said, “This incident is clear – neither the zoo authorities nor the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) have been able to catch this discrepancy for years. This is a big danger. A transparent system must be introduced immediately to make the inventory of zoos across the country transparent.”

The Central Zoo Authority has also sought a report from the Chief Wildlife Warden of West Bengal. The case is scheduled to be heard in the Calcutta High Court on July 24.

The NGO has urged the court to order the zoo authorities to submit annual inventories for the last 10 years and to explain all discrepancies.

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