15 Dec 2014
Indian zoo staff undergo training in wake of visitor death
BY Tom Anstey
Staff at New Delhi’s National Zoological Park are soon to undergo advanced training for disaster management and ensuring visitor safety, with training delivered by experts from the National Disaster Management Authority.
The plan comes in the wake of the death of a 20-year-old man at the zoo in October, after he was mauled to death by a white tiger after falling in to its enclosure. Following the man’s death, experts called for India to re-evaluate the levels of training and preparedness that zoo staff get in handling emergency situations, with wildlife experts saying there was a major difference in attitude towards zoo keeping in the western world compared to India.
Following the incident, India’s Central Zoo Authority (CZA) commissioned a two-member team to look into lapses in security and safety. One of the recommendations from the team was to train zoo staff in handling all kinds of emergencies.
All of the zoo’s animal keepers, security personnel and medical staff, among others, have undergone a one-day general training session, with further sessions planned to handle emergencies including fire, floods, animal escapes and visitor safety.
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