Eleven sandalwood trees worth Rs55,000 were stolen from Katraj's Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park. According to Bharati Vidyapeeth police Sub-inspector Dheeraj Gupta, one of the park's security officers detected some activity deep inside the park premises in the early hours of Thursday.
"He raised the alarm and went into the woods to see if anyone was there." "At the time, though, they discovered nothing," Gupta added.
He claimed that when the guards returned to the location the next morning, they discovered 11 sandalwood trees had been hacked down and taken. "We believe the trees were removed in two or three days by the sandalwood thieves," Gupta said.
Is stealing a tree Illegal in India?
Stealing a plant or tree is most likely to be considered a property crime, and the thief would be charged with the value of the plant that was stolen or destroyed. The offence of theft is punishable with imprisonment, which may extend to 3 years, with fine, or both according to the Indian Penal Code.
About Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park
The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, often known as the Rajiv Gandhi Zoo or Katraj Zoo, is a zoological park in Katraj, Pune district, Maharashtra, India. The Pune Municipal Corporation is in charge of it. The 130-acre (53-hectare) zoo is organised into three sections: an animal orphanage, a snake park, and a zoo, as well as the 42-acre (17-hectare) Katraj Lake.
The zoo features reptile, mammal, and bird collections. The zoo's animals include a white tiger and Tanaji, a male Bengal tiger. Leopards, sloth bears, sambhars, barking deer, blackbucks, monkeys, and elephants are among the other species at the zoo. Reptiles include the Indian rock python, cobra, snakes, vipers, Indian crocodiles, and Indian star tortoise, as well as birds like the peafowl.
The snake park has a diverse array of snakes, reptiles, birds, and turtles. There are approximately 22 snake species and 10 reptile species with over 150 individuals. The zoo got a pair of Asiatic lions in April 2017. This appears to be one of the reasons why zoo attendance has climbed dramatically over the previous year.
This zoo intends to contain hyenas, foxes, barking deer, nilgais, smaller cats, jungle cats, rusty spotted cats, mouse deer, and Indian giant squirrels among other animals. The zoo also intends to build an ex-situ breeding facility.
