Zoo faces problem of too many in limited space

The population of some animals such as deer and hippo continues to be in excess of stipulated numbers.

An egret seems to be persuading a hippo to share its noon meal. A scene from the Thiruvananthapuram zoo. Photo: S. Gopakumar

Even as the city zoo awaits approval for plans to bring in more animals to improve species diversity, it continues to struggle with overpopulation and resultant space constraints.

The zoo is located on 36 acres of land, unlike many other zoos that have area running into hundreds of acres. However, the number of species it houses are those that qualify it to be categorised as a large zoo. Moreover, the population of some animals such as deer and hippo continues to be in excess of stipulated numbers.

Struggling to contain the burgeoning sambar numbers a few years ago, the zoo had to resort to segregating the males and females and perform vasectomies on the males. This helped check population growth, with no baby sambar deers born in the past five years.

Rapid proliferation

It was not sambar deer alone though that bred rapidly. Spotted deer too multiplied at a fast pace, and the zoo had to perform vasectomy on male deer. However, the problem was far from over, as the sub-adult deer matured and began multiplying. These deer too were segregated recently to put a lid on their reproduction.

Zoo officials said the mortality rate among deer was high years ago, and the population remained in check. However, with the rate going down in recent times, their population had risen steadily. With enclosures having limited capacity, there was no other go but to perform vasectomies, especially as the zoo’s plans to release excess animals back into the wild did not find favour with the Forest authorities.

Other deer species such as black buck and swamp deer, nilgai, gaur, porcupine, cats such as tiger and jungle cat, birds such as sun conure, rose-ringed parakeet, peacock, and rhea are also in excess numbers.

The hippo is yet another animal that has a substantial population. The zoo has two male hippos, six females, and one sub-adult hippo.

Not only is feeding so many animals a drain on the zoo’s finances, the cramped conditions also pose a hazard to the health of animals by increasing the chances of disease outbreak, officials said.