Blackbucks killed in Pune zoo by stray dogs

Blackbucks. Credit: DH File Photo

In a shocking incident, four blackbucks were killed after stray dogs sneaked into an enclosure at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj in Pune.

The incident puts a big question mark on the safety of animals in the Pune zoo.

Blackbucks are listed as endangered species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

According to Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park Director Rajkumar Jadhav, there are 34 blackbucks in the zoological park. “They were attacked by around five stray dogs that are supposed to have entered from a dilapidated wall of the zoo,” he said.

While four blackbucks – two males and two females - have died, one is injured in the incident.

The zoo administration has sent a report to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).