KOLKATA, 26 JUNE: A 24-year-old male Chimpanzee, Tuzo, died in Alipore zoo yesterday. This has created widespread apprehension among wildlife enthusiasts about poor infrastructure in the zoo,
Tuzo, which was brought from UK in 1997, is the second chimpanzee to die in the zoo this year. According to Mr Raju Das, director of Alipore Zoological Garden, Tuzo died because of severe infection in his liver.
His lungs and heart were also damaged. He had not been eating properly for the last seven days. “He died of multiple organ failure and old age,” he said. However, expected of lifespan of chimpanzees in captivity could be 35 to 40 years.
Though the parts of the zoo is being renovated the chimpanzee was kept in its enclosure and when signs of illness became apparent he was attended by the veterinary doctors there. Mr Das said he was not shifted to the vet hospital as “there was no need to. These are big animals and they need different sort of enclosure.”
In April, a 22-year-old female chimpanzee, Jessy, died after falling from a tree in the zoo. It was claimed that the chimpanzee was under the effect of the tranquillisers. She had found her enclosure open and had escaped to climb a tree.
A member of state wildlife board said: “The chimpanzees are in a pathetic condition. They are mostly targeted by the visitors. Security guards say that it is not their work to stop the people from teasing the animals.”
The space crunch in the zoo adds to the animal’s woes, he added. There are two chimpanzees ~ Babu and Rani ~ left in the zoo now.
Soma Basu
Be First to Comment