A biodiversity advocacy group has raised alarm over a steep drop in the number of animal species at Kolkata’s iconic Alipore Zoological Gardens, prompting an official inquiry and a legal battle, even as activists prepare for a demonstration demanding transparency.
The Save Wild Animals of ZOO and Our Nature (SWAZON), a West Bengal-based environment group, announced on Thursday that it will stage a protest on 30 July outside the 149-year-old zoo, citing “serious discrepancies” in the official animal inventory and alleging a broader plan to commercialise land around the site. Citing figures purportedly based on Central Zoo Authority (CZA) data, SWAZON claims that the number of animals at the zoo has plummeted from 672 at the end of fiscal 2023-24 to 321 in mid-2025. Over a longer span, the group says, the figure has dropped from 1,452 to 351 over a decade—and from 1,872 animals in 1996, according to former Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar.
“Where have hundreds of animals gone? Tigers, lions, even giraffes are missing from official lists,” Sircar said. “The government must answer. Have they been sent to private zoos or sold? There’s no official record.” On 1 July, SWAZON filed a public interest litigation in Calcutta High Court, seeking an independent audit of the zoo’s animal inventory over the past ten years. The court is expected to hear the matter in the coming weeks.
The West Bengal forest department has launched a probe and sought a detailed report from zoo authorities, expected within two weeks. “We’ve taken serious note of the issue,” said a senior official from Chief Wildlife Warden office of the state. “Whatever action is necessary will be taken,” he said. Zoo director Arun Mukherjee declined to comment, citing the matter as sub-judice. However, zoo authorities have attributed the discrepancy to a “counting error” and said the data will be corrected.
SWAZON, meanwhile, warned against any move to commercialise the land surrounding the zoo, which includes significant water bodies and green cover. It pointed to shrinking green space in Kolkata—now reportedly less than 1 per cent per capita, far below the WHO’s recommended nine square metres. In a related development, the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO), a state agency, has cancelled a controversial e-auction for a land parcel on Belvedere Road adjacent to the zoo premises.
Activists alleged that the move to auction the land was part of a wider push to privatise and commercialise ecologically sensitive areas.
“This is about the future of Kolkata’s green lungs,” said a SWAZON spokesperson. “The Alipore Zoo is not just a heritage site, it’s a living ecosystem. We will not allow it to be dismantled in the name of profit.”