Lucknow zoo loses zebra as it celebrates its centenary

Lucknow, Nov 28 One of the three zebras brought from Israel to the Lucknow zoo, has died, the authorities have said here.

The zebra died on Saturday. Zoo Director R.K. Singh said that the three zebras had been quarantined since their arrival on Thursday.

One of the zebras sustained serious internal injuries on his head and neck after apparently collapsing inside the enclosure.

The incident took place when the three new zebras made a sudden movement and started running inside the enclosure.

"It is very likely that due to the sudden movement, the zebras ran into an object or fence inside the enclosure due to which one of them sustained serious injuries and collapsed. After the post-mortem, the cause of death came out to be cardio respiratory failure due to traumatic shock," said zoo veterinary doctor Brijendra Yadav.

The incident took place at a time when the Lucknow zoo is celebrating its centenary on Monday.

According to wildlife experts, sudden outburst of excitement and running is pretty common in zebras. This makes them prone to getting injured or going into shock or having heart attacks.

Change of habitat is also a common factor.

"For the other two inmates, we are taking strict care to avoid any such future incident," said the zoo director.

The zoo had two zebra enclosures. The remaining two zebras have been shifted to the other enclosure and are currently doing fine. "We will ensure that there's minimum disturbance and limited human interaction with the two, till the time they completely adapt to the environment," Yadav.

The zebras were transported from Israel via New Delhi, wherein they were given a mixture of gram, bran and grass and water thrice a day.

Before public viewing, the zoo had kept the three inmates in quarantine for 15 days after which they would be ready for visitors. The zebra enclosure was lying vacant since the death of last zebra Bankit in 2015.