Bhubaneswar: A female hippopotamus was found dead at Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) early Friday morning. The female hippo was ailing for a long time and died battling an ailment, informed NZP authorities.
The death of the semiaquatic mammal again raised questions on hygiene being maintained on the premises of Nandankanan for the wildlife less than a month after herpes virus claimed lives of elephants.
Notably, female pachyderm ‘Gouri’ breathed her last, September 21. The animal was said to be suffering from ailments caused by herpes virus.
With the death of ‘Gouri’, the total number of elephants dead in the last one month has reached four, raising concern for the NZP authorities.
The NZP authority has recently got a lot of stick from animal lovers and experts for the incidents of elephant deaths. They have held the NZP authorities squarely responsible for this.
Sources said that the zoo has increased the fund for ‘Centre for Wildlife Health’ from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. Yet the authorities are not able to keep the animals in good health. Now these officials are trying to get out of the situation by shifting the blame onto ailments.
Animal lovers have also accused the zoo authorities of negligence. Proper food and necessary exercise for elephants are much more important than taking measures to keep these animals free from infection and ailments.
PNN