x-defaultLucknow: Serving mutton and chicken to those used to buffalo meat in their daily diet could well mean a tasty delight, but not in the case of carnivorous species in Lucknow zoo and the lion safari in Etawah.
With the crackdown on slaughterhouses by the state government, authorities have been forced to switch over to mutton and chicken which is not going down well with the big cats and is also burdening the exchequer.
Deputy director of Etawah Lion Safari Anil Patel said that they were facing a problem arranging food for eight lions including cubs.
"About 50 kgs of meat is required daily and instead of the buffalo meat which is of their liking they are being provided mutton and chicken," Patel said adding that arrangements are being made to rope in fresh suppliers soon.
Authorities at the Lucknow zoo said the supply of meat has been affected since the past two days and a decision has been taken to switch over to mutton and chicken until the issue gets resolved.
Zoo authorities said they require 235 kgs of buffalo meat every day, but the supply for the past two days is just 80 kgs.
Besides the lions and tigers they also have to feed panthers, hyenas, wolves and jackals, which are all dependent on buffalo meat.
As the meat delivery has been hit hard, the zoo administration is now looking for a different contractor who can source meat from authorized places outside the city to meet the demand.
Etawah officials said that mutton and chicken was also not an adequate diet for the big cats due to low fat content.
The average consumption of a big cat is 8 to 10 kgs of buffalo meat daily which is hard to meet through mutton and chicken.
Will lions in UP zoos have to live on 'palak paneer'?: Cong MP
A Congress member in the Lok Sabha Friday appeared to be raking up the issue of meat shortage in Uttar Pradesh as he wondered whether lions in the state's zoos would have to survive on "palak paneer".
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he felt bad after coming to know that in many zoos in Uttar Pradesh lions were not given meat and instead are fed with chicken.
"We are not providing meat to lion... Hope no one says tomorrow that lions should survive by eating palak paneer," he remarked.
He said India exports meat worth about Rs 28,000 crore every year but there is no meat for "sher and babbar sher (lions)".
As per reports, there is a shortage of meat for animals in zoos in Uttar Pradesh where the new government is preparing an action plan to close down illegal as well as mechanized slaughter houses.
After registering a landslide victory in the polls, the BJP government headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath took over in the state.
