Tigress on fast at new home dies

RAJKOT: The 17-year-old tigress Radha at city's new Pradyumn park zoo died after a 10-day fast on Wednesday. She had stopped eating since she had been moved to her new home from Aji zoo and was being injected glucose intravenously.
The news has saddened animals lovers of Rajkot, who are questioning the handling of wildlife in zoo. The tigress's death is the third such unnatural death at the zoo in past few months.
On Wednesday early morning, veterinary officer Dr B R Jakasaniya went to check on her and found her dead. Sources said Radha was recently shifted from Aji dam zoo to Pradyumn park zoo. She took time getting acclimatised to the new surroundings. Though she was given glucose and dietary supplements, but she refused to eat anything.
Dr Jakasaniya said Dr M G Maradiya and other staff did their best, but were not able to save the animal. "After postmortem we cremated her. Some body parts will be sent to Anand Veterinary College for further investigation," he added.
Radha is not the first casualty at the zoo. In last few months, at least five animals have lost their lives due to the carelessness of zoo authorities, local nature lovers have alleged. A lion cub died and two others were found seriously ill due to snake bite in September. In August, a spotted dear died during transportation from Baroda zoo, while a blackbuck lost its life to wild dogs in the zoo premises. However, zoo authorities were quick to deny the reports and said it had died due to old age.
On the condition of anonymity, a zoo staff member said, "We don't have enough manpower and Rajkot Municipal Corporation does not even provide enough funds so that wild animals can be taken proper care of." The forest department does not get involved in this as the zoo animals fall under the RMC jurisdiction. "When even staff members are not given proper facilities like toilets, what can we expect for the animals," he said.
At present, there are 51 wild animals including bear, leopard, crocodile, sambar, tortoise, lion, tiger, spotted deer and blackbucks.
Radha, born at Bhuvnashvar's Nandankanan zoo on April 9, 1992, was shifted to Rajkot zoo on February 23, 1995. She gave birth to six tiger cubs during this period and was shifted to Pradyumn park zoo on December 14. On December 18, veterinary experts from Anand College examined her and December 20 onwards she stopped taking food. The next day, she stopped moving.