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Tiger ‘Rama’ dies in Delhi Zoo, CZA initiates probe, asks for report from zoo
New Delhi: Rama, the Delhi Zoo tiger who hit the headlines on September 10 after attacking a zookeeper, died on Friday. Rama was around eight years old.
New Delhi: Rama, the Delhi Zoo tiger who hit the headlines on September 10 after attacking a zookeeper, died on Friday. Rama was around eight years old.
The tiger was ill at the time it attacked the keeper and zoo authorities said it continued to be under treatment, but at least two wildlife activists alleged that the tiger had been beaten up after it bit off the keeper’s finger when he failed to withdraw his hand after placing a bowl of water in the animal’s cage. The tiger’s canine was also found to be broken.
On September 10, the day on which Rama had attacked the zoo keeper, the tiger was given a TT (tetanus toxoid) injection , according to a prescription seen by HT. This is normally given for external injuries. Zoo officials said the tiger was bruised when it was kept in the squeeze cage (a cage in which one wall can be moved inwards so that the animal inside is restricted in terms of movement and suitable parts of its body can be accessed for injections or treatment).
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on Friday formed a three-member committee headed by PC Tyagi, retired Indian Forest Service officer and senior fellow at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun to probe the “circumstances leading to ill health of Rama Tiger, its broken canine and appropriateness of treatment”. HT has a copy of the office order issued on Friday.
“The tiger has died. It was suffering and was being treated. A team of vets had even come from Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareily to check it. Allegations of the tiger being beaten up by keepers are absolutely false and baseless,” RA Khan, curator of the Delhi Zoo said.
Zoo director Renu Singh could not be reached for comment . A veterinary officer of the zoo who was treating Rama declined to comment.
It was on last Tuesday that Rama tore off almost half the middle finger of the zoo keeper, Fateh Singh. Zoo officials said at the time that the animal was unwell and distressed which is why it may have attacked the keeper.
Allegations have surfaced that Rama was healthy when the incident took place and was taken ill after being beaten up by some keepers . Animal rights activist Sangeeta Dogra sent a letter to the effect to the top brass of the ministry of environment and also to the CZA.
“We have received an email from Sangeeta Dogra and have already asked the zoo director to submit a report within 24 hours,” said a senior CZA official.
A few days ago, another wildlife activist, Naresh Kadyan, also claimed the tiger was beaten up, a charge immediately rubbished by zoo authorities.
The three-member CZA-appointed committee will also look into the illness of chimpanzee Rita, a 57-year-old who recently entered the Limca Book of Records as the oldest chimp in India.
The zoo issued a statement on Friday night and said that the tiger died of multiple organ failure.
