The deer were suffering from foot and mouth disease
VADODARA: In a tragic incident, 13 Sambar deer kept in Sayajibaug zoo died one after another within three weeks.
The zoo officials said that these deer were suffering from foot and mouth disease (FMD) and only one baby deer that was away from the herd managed to survive.
The Sambar deer, the largest deer in India, were kept in a large enclosure adjacent to that of spotted deer near the fountain. Their deaths came to light a couple of days ago when the expenses recurred on their treatment were brought to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) standing committee.
“It’s an unfortunate incident as we had a good number of Sambars that were the pride of the zoo. The first Sambar got FMD on November 17 and we immediately began treatment of the entire herd. They were kept in isolation too. But FMD is a highly contagious virus,” said Pratyush Patankar, Sayajibaug zoo curator.
Despite giving the best of treatment, 13 Sambar deer died by December 6. “We investigated the source of the virus and it seems that they got infected through fodder. We get this fodder from the land in Gorwa. Some FMD infected animals may have grazed on the land and passed on the virus through its saliva into the fodder,” Patankar told TOI.
“Fodder is the only source of infection as all other factors including the water are under our control. This is a ruminant disease that infects cattle, deer. Fortunately, no other herbivorous animal in the vicinity got infected with FMD,” Patankar added.
“Despite having so many animals in the zoo, VMC doesn’t have a full time veterinary doctor as the one holding the position is on-charge. Who will take responsibility for these mass deaths of Sambar deer? Also, why were the deaths kept hidden from the civic body and the public?” questioned Ami Rawat, VMC opposition leader. Rawat further alleged that if the officials concerned had sought help from the experts in time, some deer could have possibly been saved.
In November last year, a 13-year-old lioness died of renal failure after she got injured in the zoo.
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