more-in Without piped water supply for two days, the city zoo heaved a sigh of relief when water started flowing through the taps on Monday night. Without water in the line that caters to the zoo store, office, canteen, and enclosures on Saturday and Sunday, the zoo officials were left scrambling to arrange water. With the tanks empty, there was no water for the animals to drink. Though water from ponds on the premises and recycled water is used for washing enclosures and watering plants in the zoo garden, piped water is supplied to enclosures for animals to drink. “Water has to be replenished many times during the day as a lot of it evaporates. Water is needed to bathe animals and for animals such as tigers to take a dip in it regulate body temperature. Water is also required in large quantities for animals such as hippopotamus and rhino that spend a lot of time in water.” officials said. Without water in the zoo stores, preparation of food for animals too was affected. “Nearly 25,000 people visit the zoo on weekends, and water is needed for them. Water is also needed in toilets. Even if water had been supplied for some time at night so that the tanks filled up, we could have managed without it during the day,” zoo officials said. Complaints to the Kerala Water Authority did not result in resumption of supply despite officials’ promises. They did, however, ease things a bit by supplying 5,000 litres of water in two tanks. This though had to be taken to individual enclosures by the zoo staff. Zoo officials alleged that the KWA failed to ensure prompt action on their complaints. “Their response each time was ‘we will find out.’ It is apathy to the plight of animals and those taking care of them,” they said. This is not the first time that the zoo animals have had to go without water owing to supply problems.

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