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4 blackbuck die after being attacked by dogs inside Katraj zoo in Pune
According to Dr Suchitra Suryavanshi Patil, veterinary doctor at the zoo, the blackbuck were chased by the dogs and died due to cardiac shock
Four blackbuck died after being chased by a pack of feral dogs inside their enclosure at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, Katraj, on Wednesday.
Two were male and two others were female, while one female blackbuck was injured, said officials.
Blackbuck are protected animals under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which prohibits their hunting and poaching.
Dr Rajkumar Jadhav, director, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, said, “Four blackbuck were injured inside their enclosure after a pack of dogs chased them. They died due to cardiac shock.”
There were 34 blackbuck in the enclosure. According to the director, the dogs jumped from the rear wall of the enclosure. “We will be increasing the height of the rear parapet wall surrounding the enclosure to ensure such an incident does not take place again,” added Jadhav.
According to Jadhav, there have been 15 to 20 incidents earlier wherein feral animals tried to enter the zoo enclosures, where they have been successfully dragged out before they could do any harm to the animals.
The dogs could have entered the enclosure from a broken wall near the nullah, where the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) ward office was working on laying a new pipeline for drainage, claim officials.
According to Dr Suchitra Suryavanshi Patil, veterinary doctor at the zoo, “The blackbuck were chased by the dogs and died due to cardiac shock.”
“The blackbuck and Chinkaras belong to the deer family who have fragile hearts and have a tendency to have heart attacks when under heavy stress and panic situations,” she said.
The zoo currently has 448 animals and about 100 staffers who keep the zoo guarded and take care of animals.
The zoo has remained closed to the public since March 14, 2020, due to Covid-related restrictions.
On any normal weekday, the zoo would see 5,000-10,000 visitors while on weekends, the number would rise to 12,000-18,000 visitors.
