Death of 28 endangered blackbucks raises concern in K'taka; authorities await reports

Belagavi (Karnataka), Nov 16 The death of 28 blackbucks in Kittur Rani Chennamma Mini Zoo in Belagavi in a span of three days has raised concerns in Karnataka, and the authorities are awaiting the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and post-mortem reports to know the reason.

The mass death of blackbucks -- an endangered species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act -- has sparked outrage among wildlife conservationists and animal lovers.

The second round of post-mortem of three blackbucks will be conducted on Sunday by a team of two doctors, who arrived from Bengaluru's Bannerghatta National Park. The doctors are also taking the samples of the food given to blackbucks for a week. They will also conduct a health check-up of 10 blackbucks, which have survived.

The case of the death of 28 blackbucks at the Kittur Chennamma Mini Zoo has taken a serious turn. While forest officials informed the minister that the deaths were caused by a problem with the feed, they told the media that it was due to a bacterial infection. These contradictory statements made even before the FSL report has been released have raised suspicions.

It can be recalled that blackbucks died under suspicious circumstances at the Kittur Chennamma Mini Zoo in Bhutaramanahatti village of Belagavi taluk. The death of a total of 28 blackbucks within a span of three days has raised concerns. On November 13, eight blackbucks in the zoo died. Samples were sent to the laboratory to ascertain the cause of death. Even before those reports arrived, another 20 blackbucks died.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the mysterious deaths were due to negligence by the Forest Department or due to disease. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has ordered strict precautions and warned of action if the staff's negligence is found.

Preliminary findings suggest a bacterial infection as the cause of the mass deaths, raising serious concerns over the alleged negligence of the zoo’s veterinary doctors and forest staff.

Experts said the death toll could have been far lower if the infected blackbucks had been detected early and immediately isolated. The lack of regular health monitoring and the delay in responding to the first signs of illness are being seen as serious lapses by the authorities in charge of the animals’ welfare.

The blackbucks were brought from the Gadag zoo about four to five years ago. The animals were between four and six years old. Of the 28 that died, 13 were males and the rest were females, inflicting a major blow to the zoo’s blackbuck population.

After the first eight blackbucks died, officials conducted post-mortems, collected biological samples as per protocol, and disposed of the carcasses by burning. The samples have been sent to the Bannerghatta laboratory for detailed examination to establish the exact cause of the outbreak.

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