The eight-year-old spotted deer had been shifted from Peshwe Park to the new zoo at Katraj in March this year. The deer, who was in fit and healthy condition suddenly collapsed in the afternoon after which the newly appointed Deputy Zoo Superintendent Umrigar Kasreen Dinyaar rushed to the spot and did not rule out the possibility of death by snake bite after a prima facie examination.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kapoor said that body of the deer had been brought to Peshwe Park and later sent for post-mortem to Aundh. While the precise reason regarding the nature of the death will be revealed only after the post-mortem, Kapoor said it was likely that the death could have been caused by a snake bite due to the wide open space of two acres where the animals were housed.

It is not uncommon to find ordinary snakes in the jungle, Yashwant Khaire, Garden Superintendent, PMC too added. While Kapoor has taken prompt measures to invite professional guidance from Wild Life Institute at Dehra Dun and called meeting of forest officials and non-government organisations towards saving the lives of innocent animals, the general body meeting however was a stormy affair.

Visibly irked corporators Vikas Mathkari, Ujwal Keskar, Mahadeo Babar and others raised the issue of the death of animals at the zoo. An elephant had died after being shifted from the Peshwe Park to the Katraj Zoo on June 23, 1999 and a Royal Bengal Tiger had died at the Peshwe Park Zoo on July 3 which was soon followed by the death of a five-year-old female black buck at Peshwe Park. There were 66 animals in the Peshwe Park zoo while a total of 247 animals had been kept at the zoo at Katraj.elephant had died after being shifted from the Peshwe Park to the Katraj Zoo on June 23, 1999 and a Royal Bengal Tiger had died at the Peshwe Park Zoo on July 3 which was soon followed by the death of a five-year-old female black buck at Peshwe Park. There were 66 animals in the Peshwe Park zoo while a total of 247 animals had been kept at the zoo at Katraj.

Mathkari lashed out against the civic administration, particularly officials Kapoor and Khaire for issuing contradictory statements over the issue. While Khaire had submitted that the death was caused by natural illness, Kapoor had rued the substandard quality of food and water that was provided to the animals. Kapoor sought to clarify that while the issues were not related as the death of animals had been caused by natural illness, efforts had been stepped up to improve the overall functioning of the zoo. Wildlife experts have also pointed out that animals felt sick in the months of July and August. Corporators however raised a ruckus and said that there had been an indefinite delay in appointing the Deputy Superintendent of the Zoo. The veterinary doctor P N Wagh had been overburdened with the work of looking after the zoo and slaughter houses which led to neglecting the animals, Babar rued.

Keskar further pointed out that the zoo department had not been separated from the garden department which had led to the delay in the appointment. While Kapoor said that Umrigar had been newly appointed and he would personally visit the zoo on every second and fourth Friday of the month, another heated outburst followed over the issue of the quality of beef, mutton and chicken that was provided to the animals.

Keskar said that the administration should have taken adequate measures to provide good quality meat instead of now submitting a proposal to the standing committee to purchase beef in the open market at reasonable rates.