None of Ahmedabad’s councillors adopt zoo animals or birds

‘Friends of Zoo’, a scheme of Ahmedabad’s Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden in Kankaria allows citizens to adopt any animal by paying annual food and maintenance expenditure of particular animals. Surprisingly, no councillor in the city has come forward in the past 17 years to adopt any of the birds or animals of the zoo.

In the year 2025–26, a total of 11 parties have adopted 39 zoo animals. The zoo has received ₹3.81 lakh in donations from the public, specifically for water coolers. Each councillor receives an annual budget of ₹40 lakh, while office bearers and opposition leaders receive ₹50 lakh annually. Despite being capable of helping the animals, no councillor showed interest to spare even a rupee in the scheme.

At Kankaria Zoo, more than 2,100 birds, animals, and other wildlife are kept. To encourage adoption, a scheme called Friends of Zoo was launched in 2008.  

Annual feeding expenses per animal at the zoo