Leopard mauls worker at Delhi Zoo; victim not trained for carnivores: Officials
The incident occurred amid staff shortages and misallocation, with the zookeeper, who has experience only with herbivores, being asked to handle a carnivore
A zookeeper at the Delhi Zoo was mauled by a leopard on Tuesday while attempting to transfer the animal from its cage to a public enclosure, a zoo official said on Friday. The incident occurred amid staff shortages and misallocation, with the zookeeper, who has experience only with herbivores, being asked to handle a carnivore, they added.
“The person assigned to take care of a leopard named Bunty, who had come from Chhattisgarh in an animal exchange, was actually used to handling herbivores. Moreover, he was actually a general worker. Keeper and assistant keeper are supposed to be primarily responsible for taking care of the animals for the safety of all, while the gangman and the attendant are not supposed to be at the forefront,” a zoo official said, on condition of anonymity.
The official added that due to a shortage of trained staff, additional responsibilities have been placed on underqualified personnel.The zookeeper was taken to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where he received treatment and vaccinations. HT has reviewed the hospital’s medical report dated Tuesday, which noted a “bite” wound on the victim’s chest, prompting doctors to recommend vaccination. Separately, the victim also claimed to have sustained injuries on his back.
The injured zookeeper, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the incident and told HT that he was clawed by the leopard while trying to move it from its cage to a display enclosure. “The leopard clawed the left of my back,” he said.
The personnel said he has been working at the zoo since 1998, primarily involved in cleaning enclosures. “We were asked to also start taking care of animals a while back because of a shortage of staff,” he added. He said that he began caring for the leopard on April 2.
He also mentioned that the leopard had recently lost two canines during a vaccination procedure, which might have aggravated its aggression.
Delhi zoo director Sanjeet Kumar declined to confirm the specifics of the incident, saying, “Sometimes an animal keeper or animals get some minor injuries while handling for shifting, which is for the betterment of animals.”
Albino blackbuck dies
In a related development, a zoo official said a white blackbuck died during intra-zoo transportation. “The species was blackbuck, but the animal was white due to a muted gene. It was being transported from beat 17 to beat 2,” the official said. The zoo is divided into 20 beats, housing 96 species across 76 enclosures.
“We have guidelines saying we are not supposed to transfer animals during peak summer. They are supposed to be transported from July to March,” the official added, blaming the timing of the move and overcrowded enclosures for the incident.
“Herbivores are very delicate animals, and the transfer must have strained the animal. An additional problem in the herbivore enclosures is that they are overpopulated. There is supposed to be a 5:15 ratio, as in five males and 15 females in one enclosure. However, there are even 70-80 animals in the same enclosure, which causes severe stress on the animals,” he said.
Zoo director Kumar again refrained from providing specifics but denied that heat was a factor. “No animal died due to heat exposure,” he said.
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