Indian Elephants for Emperor Valley Zoo
THE Emperor Valley Zoo will get the two elephants it was promised as part of an agreement between the former UNC government and the Indian government in 2001. This was disclosed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment, Earl Nesbitt, during a public meeting of the Joint Select Committee (Government Ministries, State Enterprises, Statutory Authorities) in the Parliament Chamber of the Red House yesterday. Nesbitt said that agreement "nearly fell through the cracks," but the ministry is working to ensure that all the necessary feasibility studies are done so that the pair of two-year old Indian elephants can be brought to Trinidad and Tobago in the near future. Nesbitt said bringing elephants to TT was a very complex matter, and there were considerations such as space and water availability (involving the construction of a zoological park in Central Trinidad to house the elephants) that were being considered. He also indicated that a mahout (elephant keeper to train local zoo staffers to handle the animals) and a veterinary surgeon would have to be brought in from India to ensure that the elephants are properly cared for. The Zoological Society of TT first vice-president, Benjamin De la Rosa, said no staffer at the Emperor Valley Zoo has been sent to India to be trained to care for an elephant. De la Rosa said he could not confirm reports that a daily newspaper (not Newsday) reporter had been taken into a section of the lions’ enclosure by a keeper at the zoo last Thursday. He said information he has received thus far suggests that the lions were in their cages at the time the alleged incident occurred, and a thorough investigation would be conducted into the matter.
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"Indian Elephants for Emperor Valley Zoo"