BHUBANESWAR: A male zebra of Nandankanan Zoological Park died after it suffered serious injuries while mating with its partner here on Tuesday.
The zebra was brought from Chhatbir Zoo of Chandigarh as part of an exchange programme in March. Since Nandankanan had just one female zebra and the authorities wanted the animal’s number to grow in the zoo, the male was brought in.
However, it was the breeding process which reportedly claimed the male zebra’s life. It had suffered a fracture in the pelvic bone which caused severe haemorrhage in abdominal muscles while its vertebrae column was under immense stress.
“The animal had shown nervous problems since its spinal cord was affected. We suspect the female had kicked the male during the mating process resulting in the injuries,” Dr SK Panda, Head of Pathology, Orissa College of Veterinary Science, said.
On March 10, Nandankanan Zoological Park brought in a pair of leopards and white bucks, a male zebra and a sarus crane. A white tiger and a female zebra were exchanged for the animals.