Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has formally requested the forest department to drop all charges against the director of the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Museum in Katraj. Alongside this appeal, the civic body has asked for the return of wild animals that were seized during an investigation into alleged mismanagement at the Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WARRC).
The controversy began in September 2023 after honorary wildlife warden Aditya Paranjape lodged a complaint, prompting the forest department to file a case against the zoo director. The complaint included serious allegations such as the improper release of over 600 wild animals—including mammals, reptiles, and birds—outside of appropriate habitats, mishandling of protected species like snakes and chausingha, and the absence of documentation for 328 animals that reportedly died at the centre. These incidents were investigated under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Following these developments, the PMC ended its contract with the Indian Herpetological Society (IHS), the organization that managed WARRC, and permanently shut down the facility. Subsequently, on December 8, 2023, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) gave permission for the zoo to retain the rescued animals permanently.
In a letter dated May 30, 2025, the PMC acknowledged operational shortcomings at the centre but maintained they were unintentional. The civic body emphasized that neither the zoo director nor any PMC personnel should face legal consequences and urged the forest department to annul the Forest Offence First Report No. WL 1/2023. The letter also included a request to restore the animals taken during the investigation back to the zoo.
While the forest department has yet to submit a chargesheet against IHS, it is awaiting PMC’s final report to the Maharashtra Zoo Authority, which holds the authority to make the concluding decision in the matter.
Despite the PMC’s efforts to de-escalate the issue, wildlife warden Paranjape stood firm on the need for accountability. “The focus should be on identifying and taking appropriate action against those actually responsible for the lapses, instead of letting the matter fade away,” he asserted.
