Near-Threatened Species Sterilized by Zoo

(Katraj, India) Officials at Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Research Centre have been sterilizing internationally-recognized near-threatened animal species.

The animals apparently reproduce faster than the zoo can accommodate.

The animals are designated vulnerable as per the standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and it would seem that a policy of protecting animal species is violated by a program to limit populations.

The problem at Rajiv Gandhi Centre is that nobody wants to take its overpopulation of vulnerable species. Other zoos have expressed no interest in taking "surplus" near-threatened animals and the option of releasing them to the wild has been dismissed since procedures for obtaining permission are burdensome.

While I understand the zoo's predicament, the incongruity between sterilizing and protecting a species is illogical.