Thane: Peacock found dead in forest in Kalyan; probe underway

A peacock was found dead in a forest in Thane district in Maharashtra prompting the authorities to launch an investigation into the incident an official said on Saturday PTI reportedThe carcass was found by the villagers in the forest of Dahagaon in Kalyan taluka on January 29 and informed the authorities he saidAs per PTI Regional Forest Officer RFO Sanjay Channe said that the remains were sent for postmortem to ascertain the cause of death and a case has been filed against unidentified individualsHe said There is a possibility that villagers had placed traps for hunting small animals and the peacock may have strayed into one and got fatally caughtHowever he rules out intentional bird hunting as peacocks are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 PTI citedThe forest department and animal rights activists have launched an awareness campaign in 10 villages around the area to educate locals about the dangers of animal traps and the legal consequences of harming wildlifeMumbai 50 animals dead at Byculla Zoo citizens express concernAccording to the latest report from the Central Zoo Authority CZA approximately half of the animals at Byculla Zoo with birds being the majority died due to cardiac arrest with around 10 per cent succumbing to respiratory issues Concerns have been raised by citizens regarding the high percentage of deaths 58 per cent of deaths were attributed to cardiac arrest and approximately 10 per cent were due to respiratory problems at Byculla Zoo However the zoo management contends that these occurrences are commonplace often resulting from animal conflicts or natural ageing processesTrustee of Watchdog Foundation Adv Godfrey Pimenta expressed concern over the alarming deaths and causes of death of animals and birds According to the datawhich was published on the Central Zoo Authority website a total of 50 animals including birds died at Byculla Zoo due to various reasons Of the 47 deaths 33 were birds and 17 were mammals 10 of the 17 mammals that died were members of the deer familyAs per the available data 24 birds three deer and two turtles died due to cardiac arrest While four deer and 1 emu died due to respiratory failureAfter going through the CZA data a senior veterinarian said Generally cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest are the ultimate causes of death mentioned in a postmortem report However if the animal is being treated for whatever reason much of the underlying and contributory causes of mortality can be determined I saw the data on animal deaths at Byculla Zoo on the CZA website and prima facie I dont think theres anything to be concerned about because the pattern of mortality is consistent as occurring in other zoos as wellPimenta demanded an inquiry into these deaths Dr Sanjay Tripathi director of Veermata Jijabai Bhonsle Zoo said ldquoThese are normal deaths Mainly due to old age and fightingrdquoWith PTI inputs