He said the Delhi Zoo, a 60-year-old institution, is looking to modernise its facilities and adopt global standards in animal welfare and visitor experience.”GZRRC has developed state-of-the-art facilities in animal health, zoo design, and habitat enrichment. NZP aims to adopt these best practices,” he added.Yadav said such collaborations are not new and are routinely pursued by zoos across India.”Zoological parks enter into collaborative MoUs with other zoos, universities and scientific institutions for enhancement of conservation efforts, scientific research, education and capacity building,” he said.The minister’s statement came days after Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, raised concerns over what he called a secretive plan to hand over the management of the Delhi Zoo to a private entity.Citing a news report, Ramesh had said, “The Delhi Zoo is under the direct control of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It is planning to sign an agreement with the one and only Vantara and the Gujarat Government for getting better management practices.”He questioned whether this was the “first step towards handing over the zoo to a private enterprise” and warned that such a move would set a dangerous precedent.”While the government claims that this is not a management transfer, its past record does not inspire confidence,” he said.
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