Stray dogs enter Delhi zoo, kill 3 endangered deers

New Delhi zoo director Akansha Mahajan said that along with the internal inquiry, a tender has subsequently been floated to raise the height of the boundary wall

Feral dogs that entered the Delhi zoo killed three deers– two hog deer and a sika deer, on the night of November 12 authorities at the zoo said on Thursday. Two endangered hog deer and a sika deer were found dead the next morning, the officials said.

Two endangered hog deer and a sika deer were found dead in Delhi zoo (Hog deer/ Representative Photo)

According to the officials, an investigation into the incident has been launched.

Zoo authorities claim that incidents of wild/stray dogs entering the zoo are common due to the low boundary wall of the zoo near Nizamuddin railway yard.

New Delhi zoo director Akansha Mahajan said that along with the internal inquiry, a tender has subsequently been floated to raise the height of the boundary wall.

“It was found that over time, with waste being dumped outside the zoo boundary wall by these settlements, the height of the surface outside was being raised and at places, it has become almost level with the zoo boundary wall, giving stray dogs easy access,” said Mahajan.

Mahajan said the zoo has also written to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to look into the problem of stray dogs and lift the waste, while the railways have also been asked of clearing out the area adjacent to the zoo.

“Construction work will take 2-3 months, but until then, we are keeping vigil on that side of the zoo,” she said.

“We have found stray dogs inside the zoo premises multiple times. The boundary wall is at a height of 6.5 feet which is now being raised to around 20 feet,” said the official, stating barbed wires were also being placed to avoid such incidents.

Responding to the complaint by the zoo authorities, MCD on Friday said stray dogs cannot be permanently removed from any area, and that a formal complaint from the zoo was still awaited in this matter. The issue of waste near the zoo premises, it said, “MCD continuously removes garbage from its jurisdiction.”

Meanwhile, over the issue of waste piling up near Nizamuddin railway yard adjacent to the zoo, a northern railway spokesperson said the railways was removing encroachments from time to time, wherever permissible. “Once a formal letter is received, we can comment further on the incident. However, encroachments are being tackled in a systemic manner across railway tracks in Delhi,” the spokesperson added.