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16 NUJS L. Rev. [i] (2023)

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                      EDITORIAL NOTE





   THE NEED FOR A NEW NATIONAL ZOO

   POLICY IN INDIA: A JURISPRUDENTIAL

                            APPROACH


                            Abhinav Gupta*

            Zoos  have become  a common  feature in all major cities and town-
ships in India. They serve as a means of recreation, revenue generation, and sci-
entfic studies. Moreover, with the recent decision of the Supreme Court in on
Jallikattu, animal rights have again taken the centre-stage in legal discourse. This
note argues for a systematic, step-by-step abolishment of all zoos in India. This
is justfied by relying on the jurisprudential understanding of animal rights and
nature, which is based on placing humans as a part of nature instead of superior
or separate from it. The note delves into the legal framework of zoos in India and
thereafter explores the jurisprudential flaws that the said framework embodies.
Having  analysed them, it proceeds to robustly argue for the dismantling of zoos in
India in a phased manner.




                          I. INTRODUCTION

             India currently contains over 166 zoos that are regulated by law.'
They house over 560 species and around 56,500 animals in their premises.2 Ninety
million visitors are attracted by these zoos annually.3 The jurisprudence on animal
rights has evolved over the years in India and across the world. In addition, the

   Members: Board of Editors, NUJS Law Review. The author is extremely grateful to Ms. Somabha
   Bandopadhay for her discussions which fuelled interest in this yearas well as comments on the
   note. The note was conceptualised after a visit by the author to the Alipore Zoological Garden at
   Kolkata.
   Wild Welfare, India Announces Zoo Database Plans, March 9, 2023, available athttps://wildwel-
   fare.org/india-announces-zoo -database-plans/(Last visited on March 10, 2023).
2  Travel World, Indian Zoos to be Developed in PPP Mode, October 6, 2020, available athttps://
   travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/destination/states/indian-zoo s-to -be-developed-in-
   ppp-mode/78509964(Last visited on March 10, 2023).
3  The Hindu, Indian Zoos Attract 90 Million Visitors, Pat on the Back for Karnataka and West
   Bengal, January 18, 2023, available athttps://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/
   indian-zoos-attract-90-million-visitors-pat-on-the-back-for-karnataka-and-west-bengal/arti-
   cle66396706.ece(Last visited on March 10, 2023).

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