Kolkata

Authorities of the state-run Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata are feeding goat meat to its carnivorous animals with the suspension of buffalo slaughter at a municipal abattoir, leading to a sharp rise in the facility's food expenditure, a senior official said on Monday.

The slaughter of buffalo and other bovine animals has been suspended in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) slaughterhouse in Tangra since the BJP came to power in the state, as meat suppliers to the zoo alleged their licences have not been renewed by the civic body, forcing them to procure the significantly more expensive goat meat.

Buffalo meat was earlier fed to the eight tigers, a pair of grey wolves and a pair of Asiatic lions in the zoo.

The matter figured prominently during a recent meeting of the vendors with Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon. The zoo official said it was the first such meeting between a state forest minister and the meat suppliers.

She said the minister assured the suppliers that the state government would take up the matter with the KMC to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Until then, carnivorous animals in the zoo will continue to receive goat meat, with no reduction in the quantity or quality of their diet, she said.

Tender documents showed that the zoo requires around 51,000 kg of buffalo meat annually. Boneless buffalo meat is priced at around Rs 350 per kg, while bone-in meat costs about Rs 270 per kg. The zoo also procures around 2,800 kg of buffalo mince annually at Rs 285 per kg.

In contrast, the annual requirement of goat meat is only about 980 kg. However, boneless goat meat costs around Rs 728 per kg, while bone-in meat is priced at Rs 695 per kg. Goat mince costs approximately Rs 726 per kg, substantially increasing the zoo's expenditure after the switch.

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"Due to a high demand of goat and lamb meat in Kolkata, the meat suppliers are faced with a piquant situation leading to a mismatch between the earlier and present quantity of supply. Also, large carnivores like tiger and lion prefer buffalo meat while they are getting only goat meat now. They don't like chicken either," she added.