THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even when the Thiruvananthapuram zoo officials state that the 36-acre premise is inadequate for the existing animals, the process to add a giraffe, zebra, white lion and a black jaguar is in the final stages. “There are also plans to bring the Nilgiri tahr, grey jungle fowl and cassowary,” said a source.
Around 105 inmates died between April 2018 and March 2019 due to overpopulation and thus infighting.
The rate of excess population is high among hippopotamus, sambar deer, spotted deer, hog deer, swamp deer, black and white buck, nilgai, porcupines, tiger, leopard, jungle cat, peacock, water birds and star tortoise.
Though the officials carried out vasectomies and separated male and female animals, they did not succeed in reducing population. Also, a proposal to release a few animals was denied. The director of Museums and Zoos, S Abu, explained: “The animals that have grown in the zoo are not exposed to extreme conditions. Hence, they cannot survive if released.”
The zoo has 1,608 animals belonging to 151 species. Interestingly, there is only one veterinary doctor, a livestock inspector and a lab assistant to take care of the animals. According to sources, the process to allocate a permanent biologist is underway.
Meanwhile, the good news is that there has been no outbreak of contagious or infectious diseases during the past few years. The foot and mouth disease outbreak was last reported in 2007. Similarly, the canine distemper disease appeared in 2011, trypanosomiasis in 2012 and feline panleukopenia in 2013.