A 15-year-old male gaur, a key contributor to the breeding programme at the National Zoological Park (NZP), has died due to age-related complications, zoo officials said on Sunday.
The gaur, also known as the Indian bison, had been under care in an enclosure for the past few days due to deteriorating health, Delhi Zoo Director Sanjeet Kumar said.
Brought from Mysore in 2014, the gaur played a significant role in increasing the zoo’s population of the species.
“Currently, there are 15 gaurs at NZP, and over 75 per cent of them are his progeny,†Kumar said, adding that samples have been collected and will be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) for further analysis.
The death comes a month after two out of four Asiatic lion cubs born at the zoo died. Of the remaining two, one is with its mother Mahagauri, a five-year-old lioness, and is said to be healthy.
Meanwhile, a video shared on social media on Saturday purportedly showing two elephants in chains at the Delhi zoo amid the ongoing heatwave has been denied by the zoo authorities.
The video, posted by a user who claimed to have visited the zoo with five children for a summer camp, showed two elephants that appeared to be chained. Responding to the allegations, Director Kumar said, “No elephant is currently chained. Their enclosures remain open, and they are taken to pucca and kutcha ponds for bathing.â€
He said the elephants are kept under concrete sheds and tree shade. Earth and sand mounds have been placed in their enclosure for their comfort.
Bathing is ensured three times a day, and mahouts take them to both the mud pond and the cement pool filled with water, he added.
“Whenever Heera, the male elephant, enters the pre-musth stage, a light, long chain is used as a precaution to ensure safety of both the elephant and the caretakers,†Kumar said.
The national Capital has been reeling under an intense heatwave with red alerts issued through the week. Maximum temperatures have hovered between 40.9 and 45 degrees Celsius.
Established in November 1959, the Delhi Zoo currently houses 95 species of animals and birds. It received its first lion pair in 1969.
