Overview
- A team from the Environment Ministry inspected the National Zoological Park, and the joint director said he will begin the inquiry upon returning to Delhi.
- The union says that after a November escape, one jackal entered a Himalayan black bear enclosure in December and was killed when staff used chilli powder and lit a fire in the burrow.
- The complaint alleges the carcass was recovered days later and disposed of without notifying veterinarians or conducting a required post-mortem.
- Zoo director Sanjeet Kumar counters that no such incident was reported internally and that jackal numbers in exhibit and holding areas match official inventory records.
- The union seeks an independent, court‑monitored probe, suspensions, and preservation of CCTV from 14–20 December, noting the jackal is a Schedule 1 species under law with severe penalties if the claim is substantiated.