Rhino picked up deadly infection at Delhi zoo: Autopsy

An 11-year-old rhino named Dharmendra died in Delhi Zoo due to acute haemorrhagic enteritis, raising concerns over animal health post-transfer.

The 11-year-old one-horned rhinoceros that died at National Zoological Park in Delhi on Thursday – just four months after arriving from Assam as part of an animal exchange programme — succumbed to acute haemorrhagic enteritis possibly caused by infection that took place after the animal’s transfer.

11-year-old one-horned rhinoceros Dharmendra. (Courtesy: NZP)

The male rhino, named Dharmendra, was found collapsed in its enclosure on Thursday morning. A post-mortem conducted on Friday revealed the cause of death as acute haemorrhagic enteritis - a life-threatening inflammation of the intestines often caused by exposure to parasites, toxins or bacterial infections.

“The major findings of the post-mortem have revealed that it died due to acute haemorrhagic enteritis. The final reason of the death will be ascertained after lab investigations,” said Zoo director Sanjeet Kumar. A team from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly was called to inspect the animal and collect viscera samples on Thursday evening.

The death has puzzled zoo officials as the animal appeared healthy. Dr Kunal Sharma, chief veterinarian at MaxPetZ in Greater Kailash, suggested the condition likely developed after the rhino’s arrival in Delhi.

“If the rhino had the condition already upon arrival, it would have been detected and the rhino would have also shown signs like bloating or lethargy sooner,” said Sharma. He added that the stark environmental differences between Assam and Delhi may have contributing factors.

The rhino arrived in Delhi in September 2024 along with a male royal Bengal tiger and a pair of pied hornbills from the Assam Zoo in Guwahati.

In exchange, Delhi Zoo sent a female tiger, female rhino, blackbuck, white buck and a pair of blue and yellow Macaw. After completing mandatory quarantine, Dharmendra was put on public display in October.

None of the other animals that recently arrived at the Delhi Zoo in exchange programmes is unwell, according to zoo officials.

The death comes days after a nine-month-old white tiger cub died at the zoo due to “traumatic shock and acute pneumonia.” The zoo has announced an internal inquiry into the rhino’s death under joint director Sachin Gupta, though officials have ruled out anthrax as a cause.

Apart from these two deaths, the facility has of late been in the spotlight for the condition of the animals there.

The zoo was under fire for its treatment of Shankar, its lone African elephant, which was kept chained for much of last year until Union minister of state Kirti Vardhan Singh intervened. In September, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums suspended Delhi Zoo’s membership for six months over concerns about Shankar’s living conditions.

Kumar said Dharmendra was brought to mate with the zoo’s female rhino, which is now under observation. “Our hope was that they would produce offspring,” he said. The death leaves the Delhi Zoo with just one female rhinoceros.