E-Paper
29 Blackbucks found dead in Belagavi zoo: Officials
A wave of 29 blackbuck deaths at Kittur Rani Chennamma Zoo prompts a major investigation for possible contagious infections and negligence.
A wave of unexplained deaths at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Zoo has prompted a large-scale investigation after twenty nine blackbucks died over a three day period last week, zoo officials said on Sunday, adding that the facility had a population of thirty eight blackbucks, making the loss unprecedented for any zoo in the country, a fact confirmed by senior forest officials.
Nagaraj Balhasuri, the assistant conservator of forests in Belagavi, said multiple layers of inquiry were now underway.
“We have sent the water and the food consumed by the deer to a government laboratory for testing,” he said, adding that viscera samples were sent to experts at Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru to establish the exact cause of death. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said that no zoo in India has ever recorded fatalities of this scale within such a short span.
The deaths have drawn immediate attention from the state government.
Forest and ecology minister Eshwar Khandre directed the department to carry out a detailed probe and implement measures to prevent any spread of disease to other animals.
Preliminary reports point to a possible contagious infection, prompting the minister to instruct zoo authorities to take comprehensive precautions while awaiting laboratory results, officials aware of the matter said.
An expert committee will be formed to study all possible causes, including contaminated water, food sources, and transmission from domestic animals near the facility, said officials. The committee is expected to submit a detailed report with recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future, they added. The minister has warned of strict action if negligence by zoo staff is identified.
The deaths also bring renewed scrutiny to overall animal management at the zoo. Only weeks earlier, an aged tiger and an aged lion had died, although officials attributed those deaths to natural causes. The mini zoo at Bhutaramanahatti, which has been steadily expanding its collection by bringing in species from parks across the country, is still in the process of strengthening infrastructure and care systems.
Covering fifteen hectares, the Kittur Rani Chennamma Zoo has proposed an expansion to become a medium sized zoo, which would require at least thirty five hectares.
Officials have said that an additional twenty hectares of surrounding forest land could be added if the Central Zoo Authority approves the upgrade.
The zoo currently houses two hundred and five animals and birds, including lions, tigers, crocodiles and several varieties of deer and avifauna. Once upgraded, the collection is expected to increase significantly.
Plans under consideration include expanding the existing tiger safari by another twenty hectares and introducing new species such as giraffes, hippos, zebras, wild dogs, bison, ostriches and additional deer species.
The facility, which originated as a nature camp in 1989 and was converted into a mini zoo in 2020, has received national attention for being the first zoo developed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The zoo has undergone several improvements in recent years under the supervision of Range Forest Officer Pavan Kuraning, including the creation of a reptile park, a crocodile park, a three dimensional gallery and a watchtower.
Even so, the sudden deaths of nearly the entire blackbuck population represent one of the most serious challenges the zoo has faced, said officials concerned with the matter.
