Schoolchildren crowd around the animal enclosures at Vandalur zoo, pointing and chattering excitedly. Even on a weekday, the zoo is packed. At the chimpanzees' enclosure, Srinivasan watches them with a hawk's eye, ensuring that no one throws plastic and hushing the children gently when they get too noisy.
"These chimps are my friends," says Srinivasan, one of the zookeepers. "I ensure that they are safe and healthy." For him, it's more than just a job. It's been 25 years since Arignar Anna Zoological Park, also known as Vandalur zoo, was thrown open to the public but his association with it dates back even further. He is one of the few old-timers who actually helped set it up.
"G Palani and I began working in 1979," says Srinivasan. Vandalur zoo started out as a menagerie in 1854. "Dr Edward Belford of Madras Museum got some rescued panther cubs and kept them near the museum. It attracted large crowds, so he thought of starting a zoo," says Dr Manimozhi, the zoo biologist.
In 1855, Dr Belford started the Madras zoo on the museum premises, and it was later transferred to the Madras Corporation. It was shifted to People's Park, near Central station in 1861 as it was growing.
"Soon it was necessary to relocate it to an even larger area," says Manimozhi. At People's Park, there was a lot of air and sound pollution, and there was not enough space for the animals. Since many people lived in the area, it posed a health hazard to animals.
Work to shift the Madras zoo to Vandalur Reserve Forest began in 1976. People from surrounding villages were roped in to afforest the area. "There was nothing but scrub jungle, and practically no tree cover," says Palani, who looks after the zebra, giraffe and ostrich. Both he and Srinivasan remember the days when they went scouting for seeds in Chengalpet and the Madras Christian College campus. "We have planted most of the trees here," Palani says proudly, patting the trunk of a nearby tree.
From the zoo director to the ground staff, they're all thrilled to mark the zoo's silver jubilee. "We plan to promote the idea of animal adoption and rope in celebrities. The idea is to create awareness and a love for animals among people," says Dr KSSVP Reddy, zoo director.
Events with students during wildlife week in October and a zookeeper for a day programme are also on the cards. Today, the zoo draw over 16 lakh visitors a year, but old timers like Palani and Srinivasan still remember the early days. "We worked in the scorching sun, making enclosures, putting up signs, creating trails for different species and eco-friendly rest sheds," says Manimozhi, who has been on the staff since 1988. They also developed a record-keeping system with details of the animals brought to the zoo.
Today, the 602-hectare zoo is one of the largest in south-east Asia, with 146 species and 1,376 animals and about 50 keepers tend to them. "When we started work, we were hired to clear bushes and work on the land," says Chelliah, who is eating lunch behind the enclosure for white tigers. Over time and with some training, they began taking care of the animals too. "I had never been with wild animals, but felt no fear," he says.
The keepers are at the zoo by 8.30am. They first check the animals and notify the authorities if anything is amiss. Enclosures are cleaned, water troughs filled and the animals fed. Animals and humans share an easy camaraderie. Gombe and Gowri come ambling when Srinivasan calls out to them. "Clap, Gowri," he says, encouragingly, rewarding the chimp with a banana.
Since the keepers spend all day with the animals, they are a treasure house of information. "Vandalur zoo is the leader of captive breeding programmes for the lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri tahr. The keepers are an essential part of the programme as they tell us when the animal is in heat or when it is ill," says Manimozhi.
For the keepers, the zoo has become a second home. "When I came, it was for daily wages. Now I have a government job and earn a basic salary of about Rs 6,000," says Chelliah.
Palani adds, "I am here every day from 8.30am to 5.30pm. I come check on the animals even if my children are sick. I can't think of doing any other job."
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