Delhi zoo records highest mortality rate
new delhi — The National Zoological Park in Delhi has recorded the highest mortality — 171 animals — among all major zoos across the country. All the deaths have happened in the last one year. The unlucky ones are mostly deer, antelopes, monkeys and birds.
Delhi’s toll of 171 is an all-time record high figure. “At least 171 animals have died in the zoo in the past one year. This is probably the highest among all large zoos in the country. In most other large zoos the death toll on an average is less than 50 during the same period,” said an official of the Central Zoo Authority.
Zoos in India are categorised into large, medium, small and mini — based on parameters such as area, animal population, collection of endangered species and number of visitors among others.
The total number of animals and birds in Delhi zoo increased by just four in the past year as compared to the previous year’s rise of nearly 100. At present, there are 1,355 animals of 31 exotic (foreign) species and 40 Indian species at the Delhi zoo.
Delhi zoo along with a few other wildlife parks such as the Nandankanan Zoological Park near Bhubaneshwar, Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur Zoo) near Chennai, Bannerghatta Biological Park near Bengaluru and Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden are among the large zoos of India.
Old age, fighting among animals, and fatal diseases are some of the reasons attributed to the deaths of the animals, according to the Delhi zoo officials. This does not explain the high figure though, as these factors must be common to animals in other zoos as well.
Sources revealed that most of the animals died during the 2016 summer and winter. A zoo official claimed that the herbivores are particularly vulnerable as they are prone to diseases such as pneumonia when the temperature fluctuates. “In the summer when there is rain and the temperature drops drastically, deer and antelopes often catch cold and suffer from pneumonia. We lost around 29 black bucks, five albino black bucks, 12 deer hogs and 62 chital (spotted deer) in just one year,” he said.
The zoo officials said this summer animals have been provided with air coolers, and water sprinklers. Their diets have also been changed for the better. But that seems not to have had any effect if the toll is anything to go by.
Recently, the Times of India said that Delhi zoo had been under-reporting langur deaths and presenting falsified postmortem reports to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). An inquiry had found several hog deer deaths were also under-reported. Besides, the investigation raised suspicion about the deaths of three lion-tailed macaques in 2015-16. The CZA found 15 hog deer had died last year while the zoo’s inventory recorded just eight deaths.
The CZA report states that postmortems were not carried out for all hog deer deaths. The report has been sent to the union environment ministry.
While more than 170 animals died in the Delhi zoo, the Vandalur Zoo recorded the second highest death toll in the country — 98. Around 68 animals died in the Bannerghatta Biological Park. Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden recorded the lowest casualty at 21.Nandankanan Zoological Park registered 49, while Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (Vishakhapatnam) recorded 28 deaths.
Animal activists have pointed out that contrary to what the Delhi zoo officials say about air coolers and water sprinklers, quite a few species are just not fit to survive the extreme Delhi summer when temperature goes up to 49C. “It’s an act of cruelty to even keep them in the zoo. They are better off, and will live longer in their natural habitat.”