


Thursday, May 28, 2009
Animal rights NGO PAWS has found monitor lizard skin drying at this fish recreation centre, for which they have filed a complaint with the Forest Department
Yet again in the eye of a storm is the controversial Dolphin Aquarium at Irla Chowk, Vile Parle West, as animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi asks officials of Anti Poaching Unit, Mumbai to look into the matter of animal skin found in the aquarium.
Says Sunish Subramanian, Secretary, PAWS, “We have been persistently forcing the officials to take stringent action before it’s too late. However, they have been ignoring our pleas. More so, the time when we raided their premises, we found skins of monitor lizard drying, which proves the fact that they are also probably trading the same.”
In fact, TWM is in possession of Maneka Gandhi’s letter addressed to the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Anti Poaching Unit, Mumbai, where she has asked the officials to take immediate action. It’s been a month since the last raid was done and there has been no action till now.
Informs Owen Misquitta, Director, Dolphin Aquarium, “About keeping animal skin, it's not only the monitor lizard, even skins of various animals such as fish and snake can be found with us, which have been dried, medicines applied on the same to preserve them and prevent insects from eating them.
Also, when schoolchildren approach us to look and study the animals at the aquarium, a lesson is also given to them about animal's skin and body type with these skins.
If the complainant has found us into trading of animals and their skin, then I would admit my crime. However, the scenario here is completely different. Without knowing the facts, we are being wrongly framed into a crime, which we have not committed.”
Members and activists of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) had lodged a complaint in 2005 with the Forest Department, asking them to take action against the aquarium's management and confiscate wild birds such as parakeets and a hill mynah.
Complaints were again made in 2008 with the Forest Department to confiscate parakeets, hill mynah, cuckoo, wild cats and other wild animals kept on its premises. Since they didn't take any action, PAWS complained to Maneka Gandhi.
While higher officials were not available for comment, Satish Phale, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Anti Poaching Unit confirms, “We have received complaints from PAWS, and we have forwarded the same to higher authorities for immediate action.
However, earlier, Phale had said he did not have adequate staff to conduct raids for seizure of wild animals and animal skin, as is mentioned in the letter.
Fishy facts
This dome-shaped aquarium, in the middle of a lake at Irla, has locals and outsiders frequenting it as a place to relax or for boating. It also boasts of a few local varieties of fish and a jogging track. Wild birds, animals and others are kept in a cage around the jogging track that runs around the lake.

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