Stray dogs kill three deer at Delhi zoo, say authorities

According to the zoo authorities, the three deer -- two hog deer and a sika deer -- were found dead on November 12 when an official entered their enclosure.

Authorities at the Delhi zoo have claimed that three deer that died at the zoological park in November were killed by community dogs that entered the enclosure from a JJ cluster adjoining the boundary wall near Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.

Community dogs were found to have entered the zoo by jumping over a boundary wall where the JJ cluster called Janta camp is present, said officials. (HT Photo)

According to the zoo authorities, the three deer -- two hog deer and a sika deer -- were found dead on November 12 when an official entered their enclosure. Subsequently, an investigation was initiated into the incident, and community dogs were found to have entered the zoo by jumping over a boundary wall where the JJ cluster called Janta camp is present.

“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 raised and at places, it has become almost level with the zoo boundary wall, giving community dogs easy access,” said Delhi zoo director Akansha Mahajan, who took charge a week after the incident.

Mahajan said that the zoo has now floated a tender to raise the height of the boundary wall.

“The boundary wall is at a height of 6.5 feet, but is now being raised to around 20 feet,” a zoo official, on condition of anonymity, said, adding that barbed wires will also be used.

Mahajan said that the construction of the wall will take two-three months, “but until then, we are keeping vigil on that side of the zoo and no such incident has happened after that”, she said, adding that she has written to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to look into the removing community dogs from near the zoological park.

Community dogs are territorial, serve as guard dogs, and keep the rodent population down. These dogs can’t be exterminated or simply shipped out; there are legal restrictions against both.

An MCD spokesperson said community dogs cannot be removed permanently from any area, and that a formal complaint from the zoo was still awaited in this matter. “MCD continuously removes garbage from its jurisdiction.” the spokesperson added.

To be sure, the MCD is completely in the dark about the city’s canine population, and it has been over a decade since MCD has carried out a survey of community dogs.

The zoo official quoted above said community dogs had entered the zoo multiple times after Diwali on October 24, with the sound of firecrackers disorienting and overwhelming the canines, some of whom entered the zoo. “We found them inside the zoo premises around the time that the November 12 incident occurred, but we have not seen a single dog since,” the official said.

Mahajan said that she has also written to the Railways to clear the area adjacent to the zoo.

A northern railway spokesperson, meanwhile, 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 said.