Protected animals rescued from private mini-zoo

Ahmedabad, Aug 31 (UNI) The Gujarat Forest Department officials have rescued protected animals from a private mini-zoo, set up by the son of former employee of the State Fisheries Department, at his staff quarters in Maninagar area of the city.

Acting on information provided by the neighbours, the forest officials raided the staff quarters and rescued the animals, official sources said here today.

The raiding teams rescued six small crocodiles, five tortoises, two rhesus monkeys, a mountain lizard, a monitor lizard and a mongoose. According to the officials, most of these animals are protected under the Indian Wild Life Act.

However, keeper of the mini-zoo, Jimmy Sharma, is not a poacher but had kept the animals because of his obsession with them, an official said.

Jimmy is at present in Assam where he has gone to appear for an examination, official sources said.

Jimmy's father Pradeep Sharma is a retired class-I government officer. The animals were kept on the terrace of their house.

''We are investigating how Jimmy had procured these animals,'' a senior government official said.

UNI