Image of blackbucks for representation.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Belagavi: The number of blackbuck deaths at Kittur Rani Channamma Mini Zoo at Bhutaramanhatti village in Belagavi taluk increased to 31 on Monday, with another antelope succumbing to suspected bacterial infection.
Among the 38 blackbucks at the zoo, eight died on Thursday last and 20 on Saturday. The incident came to the fore on Saturday after Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced an inquiry into the deaths.
The blackbucks that died were aged between four and six years and had been brought here from Binkadatti Zoo in Gadag.
Assistant Conservator of Forests and Zoo Deputy Director Nagesh Balehosur said that the 29th blackbuck died on Saturday night and the 30th on Sunday evening. Another one, which was injured, died on Monday morning, but post-mortem and visceral test would reveal if it was due to bacterial infection or the leg injury it was suffering from.
Earlier, the zoo authorities had said that the blackbucks died due to bacterial infection. Viscera samples have been sent to the Wild Animals Diseases Diagnostic Lab at Bannerghatta in Bengaluru to ascertain the cause for the death. Such sudden deaths of blackbucks, with the doctors not getting time to treat the endangered animals, had been witnessed for the first time here.
Infection by food and water has been denied by zoo officials. They had said the diet of the endangered species was as specified by the Zoo Authority of Karnataka and the Central Zoo Authority.