One More Death at Vizag Zoo: Male Sloth Bear Meets Tragic End

In a press note dated 31 March 2024, he Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam has announced with deep sorrow that a male sloth bear passed away at the Animal Rescue Center (ARC) in Visakhapatnam during the early hours of 30 March (Saturday). The bear, aged over 30 years, was rescued from Vajrapu Kothuru in the Srikakulam district in 2019 and had been residing at the ARC. According to Dr. Nandani Salaria, IFS, the curator of the Vizag zoo, the cause of death of the sloth bear was attributed to old age or senility, as indicated by the postmortem report submitted by the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon. It’s important to note that the average lifespan of a Sloth Bear in the wild is approximately 25 years, and in this case, the animal had lived its full life. The dedicated IGZP team provided the bear with the best care and treatment from 2019 to 2024.

Only earlier in November 2023, a 20-year-old female sloth bear, Divya, passed away at the IGZP.

Divya was born in 2003 at the city zoo. The cause of death was chronic renal failure as per the post-mortem report submitted by the veterinary assistant surgeon of the zoo. The average lifespan of the sloth bear in the wild is around 15-20 years. The zoo had two more sloth bears for display, but following the most recent incident, there is presently only one sloth bear remaining.

This news closely follows another tragic death at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park only last week, when the city mourned the loss of Beacon, a 12-year-old male giraffe, who passed away on the midnight of 24 March 2024 (Sunday). Beacon the giraffe, who was homed at the Vizag Zoo after being brought from from Negera Zoo in Malaysia in 2013, faced death due to cardio-pulmonary failure, as per the post-mortem report submitted by the zoo’s veterinary assistant surgeon. This condition refers to the failure of both the heart and the lungs, resulting in a stoppage in the body’s circulation and ventilation.

Beacon had been under continuous treatment for the past year, with regular diagnostic testing, specific treatments, and consultations with experts in the field. Despite these efforts and consultations with many national and international expert wildlife veterinarians, Beacon’s health had been deteriorating over the past two months. The average lifespan of a giraffe in most Indian zoos is around 15-17 years.

This series of deaths, including the recent death of the sloth bear, taking place in the Vizag Zoo in the recent months have indeed been tragic.

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