Hindu activists oppose serving beef to tigers in Guwahati zoo

 The activists stopped vehicles carrying meat items meant for the big cats housed in the zoo. They blocked the roads leading to the zoo for several hours before allowing authorities to take the food items inside.

By Utpal Parashar

A white tiger at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati. At present, the zoo has 8 tigers, 3 lions, 26 leopards and other small cats like leopard cat, jungle cat etc. (ASSAM STATE ZOO.)

Opposing the slaughter of cows, several Hindu activists on Monday protested against serving beef as part of diet to tigers and other big cats in the Assam state zoo located in Guwahati.

The activists stopped vehicles carrying meat items meant for the big cats housed in the zoo. They blocked the roads leading to the zoo for several hours before allowing authorities to take the food items inside.

“The vehicles carrying meat for the zoo inmates were stopped briefly by some miscreants. We had to call the police to disperse them. There’s no issue regarding supply of meat to the animals now,” said Tejas Mariswamy, divisional forest officer (DFO), Assam state zoo.

Established in 1957 and spread over 175 hectares in the middle of Guwahati in the Hengrabari reserve forest, Assam state zoo, which has 1,040 wild animals and birds of 112 species, is the biggest zoo in the Northeast.

At present, the zoo has 8 tigers, 3 lions, 26 leopards and other small cats like leopard cat, jungle cat etc.

The zoo is a big attraction among people in Guwahati and others from across the region, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been closed for the public since March this year.