The rain and the strong winds lashing the city have caused minor damage at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo.
Though only a tree or two on the verdant premises toppled over, falling branches caused a little damage. The situation would have been much worse if pruning had not been taken up last year. However, many more trees need to be pruned, sources said.
The disposal of the branches is also a problem for the zoo authorities. The branches usually find no takers among buyers owing to the high price charged, and are piled up and left to rot, they said.
The rain, the resultant humidity, and mosquitoes cause discomfort to the animals too. Animals are vulnerable to diseases during the monsoon. After the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the city a few months ago, the zoo had taken a number of precautions such as vaccinations and adoption of biosecurity measures, and no cases had been reported in the zoo. However, a close vigil was being maintained since then. The precautions were still being observed, albeit with a few tweaks, since the arrival of the monsoon. Bleaching powder was being sprinkled as a disinfectant on wet patches in enclosures and in slushy areas so as to prevent any infections, zoo veterinarian Jacob Alexander said.
The young ones of a tiger and hyena have not had to brave the wet weather. The tiger cub is in a sheltered enclosure, while the hyena cub is safely enclosed in a den from which it ventures out only for food.
Dr. Alexander said the sutures on a limb of the lion, Ayush, sustained recently after a skirmish with the tigress, Ponni, had been removed. The incident occurred after the tiger cub was separated from Ponni for vaccination. The tigress was put in an enclosure to the rear of the lion enclosure. Ponni, furious at the cub being taken away from her, did not take kindly to the lion’s presence nearby, and displayed aggressive behaviour. The lion, in turn, tried to swipe at her through the bars of the enclosure when Ponni bit him deep. Ayush was immediately darted, shifted to the hospital, and operated upon. The wound healed well, and the sutures had been removed, Dr. Alexander said.
