Gandhinagar, Mar 17 (IANS): The state government on Thursday admitted that a total of 49 exotic animals and birds have died at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project, the Jungle Safari Park located near the Statue of Unity (SoU) at Kevadia. More than 36 percent of the imported exotic species couldn't survive the park's environment and around 24 percent of the animals from other Indian zoos also couldn't make it.

The information was given in the ongoing budget session of the legislative assembly in reply to a question asked by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar from Danilimda constituency.

Officially, the government admitted that a total of 22 exotic animals were brought from overseas, out of which eight animals lost their lives. Among these imported animals and birds, there were 5 Aplacas, 4 Lamas, 5 Wallabies, Giraffes, 3 Zebras, 3 Wildebeest and 2 Oryx. From these, only three Alpacas, two Lamas, 2 Wallabies, a lone Giraffe, one Zebra, three Wildebeest and 2 Oryx survived.

Ram Ratan Nala, director of the Jungle Safari, had in 2020 confirmed that there was a loss of a Giraffe due to diaphragmatic hernia in March 2020. Six months prior to that, the Safari had lost another Giraffe. One Giraffe had died during the landing of the flight bringing it at an airport.

"This is not surprising. When did the government speak the truth in the state assembly? Now democracy has died and state assembly sessions have only become a formality," Paresh Dhanani, the former Leader of Opposition Party (LOP), told IANS.

In all, according to the available information, four Giraffes were brought, out of which three had died. But the government's reply on Thursday in the state assembly only mentioned a single Giraffe which has survived.

"When the Safari Park at Kevadia was initiated, it was developed by the forest department, but thereafter it has been handed over to the Kevadia Statue of Unity Development Authority. Yes it is true that initially, four Giraffes from abroad had been brought to the park, out of which only one has survived," Shyamal Tikadar, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PrCCF), Wildlife told IANS.

According to the written reply by the minister, most of the exotic animals and birds, brought from overseas and other states and which died, suffered from respiratory and circulatory failures. The other reasons of their death included hypovolemic shock, asphyxia, multi-organ failure, severe abdominal colic, pneumonia, cardiac failure,