NEW DELHI: A female wolf brought from Patna Zoo under an animal exchange programme died at Delhi’s National Zoological Park, sources said, raising questions over adherence to quarantine protocols. Officials said the wolf allegedly sustained a hind limb fracture during transfer. She was kept under veterinary observation but died on Thursday.
According to guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority, quarantine is an essential part of the animal exchange process, requiring monitoring of health, stress, and adaptation of newly arrived animals, sources added.
Questions have been raised over whether standard quarantine protocols were followed in this case. Four wolves were brought from Patna Zoo to Delhi Zoo as part of the exchange programme, an official said.
However, no immediate response was available from zoo authorities.
The Delhi Zoo has witnessed multiple animal deaths in recent months. In January, four chousinghas (four-horned antelopes) died, and later toxicology reports by IVRI detected traces of phosphine in their samples.
Around the same time, a jackal died after entering a Himalayan black bear enclosure. A female Sangai deer and a female antelope also died, while a male Sangai deer later succumbed while undergoing treatment for a hind limb injury.