NEW DELHI: Two adult baboons died at the Delhi Zoo due to lung infection. Authorities on Saturday said that they are still trying to determine the exact cause of infection. According to officials an adult female Hamadryas Baboon (African monkey) succumbed in the morning due to severe infection, this is after another female Baboon had died earlier on September 8.
“The baboons had lung infection. At this stage we can’t rule out anything and to further determine the cause of infection, the viscera has been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute. Despite all our efforts the baboons could not recover,” informed Ramesh Pandey, director, Delhi Zoo.
The authorities have increased vigil and are monitoring all the animals closely for any symptoms of coronavirus. The baboon which succumbed today initially had sustained an infection from a wound, which was being treated by medical experts, but soon she developed lung infection as well, Pandey informed.
The Zoological Park currently houses one male, female and an infant baboon. According to Zoo officials, TB and other infections have been ruled and the cause of infection is more likely to be pneumonic. Delhi Zoo administration has been taking various scientific management initiatives such as enrichment of the enclosures, early release of animals in arenas, intensive and regular screening of the animals, 24X7 monitoring and care. “Animal welfare measures taken by us have brought down the mortality rate of animals in the facility to about 50 per cent of last year’s tally in the same time period,” he added.