Bokaro: More than a year after Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) proposed handing over the Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park to the forest department, the process is awaiting recommendations from a technical committee, officials said.The proposed transfer is intended to improve animal care, veterinary services and maintenance at the facility, popularly known as Bokaro Zoo. The five-member committee, constituted in July 2025 to frame a memorandum of understanding between BSL and the forest department, is yet to submit its report, officials said.The delay comes amid concerns over manpower shortage, the absence of a full-time veterinarian and a decline in the zoo’s animal population.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
Several enclosures are now empty, prompting wildlife enthusiasts and residents to seek urgent intervention.Established in Jan 1989, the 127-acre zoo is maintained by BSL, a SAIL unit. It houses leopards, deer, birds and other wildlife, besides an aquarium and recreational facilities.The death of a female leopard in June 2025 drew attention to veterinary and maintenance arrangements. The zoo lost its lone white tigress to heart failure in 2022 and its only lioness following cardiac arrest in 2020. Several other animals died from illness and age-related causes over the past 15 years.BSL chief of communications Manikant Dhan said the technical committee would be headed by the Bokaro divisional forest officer. Its members include the district veterinary officer, BSL’s general manager in-charge of horticulture and other officials.State govt’s approval for a Rs 150-crore mega zoo in Giridih’s Pirtand has led to questions among residents over the future of the Bokaro facility.Forest official Sundeep Shinde said a Central Zoo Authority team inspected Bokaro Zoo around two months ago. “We are waiting for its report to initiate further proceedings,” he said.
Bokaro Zoo
Bokaro Zoo
Bokaro Zoo
Bokaro Zoo
