Overview
- The Supreme Court, which delivered its ruling Monday, approved moving most deer from A.N. Jha Deer Park to Rajasthan under Central Empowered Committee supervision and limited the park to 38 animals with Central Zoo Authority approval.
- The order mandates humane, science-based steps that include calm capture, veterinary checks, soft-release acclimatisation, and post-release monitoring at Mukundara Hills and Ramgarh Vishdhari tiger reserves.
- The Delhi Development Authority must upgrade shelters, water and fodder systems, fencing, and trained staffing, and maintain a 15-to-23 male-to-female ratio in the retained herd or seek further directions if it cannot comply.
- The park will continue as a protected forest, and the court noted its former ‘mini zoo’ recognition was canceled after a 2021 license expiry and management lapses that make holding a large captive herd unlawful.
- The Environment Ministry must examine the CEC’s draft translocation code and give it legal force within six months, with the Supreme Court set to review compliance on January 19, 2027.