Last week,3 white bucks died of tranquilliser overdose,cremated in Chhatbir zoo; director denies

Three white bucks reportedly died in the Chhatbir zoo last week.

Three white bucks reportedly died in the Chhatbir zoo last week. Sources said the animals died due to negligence of the staff they were given an overdose of tranquilliser.

Three white bucks were to be shifted from their enclosure to the deer safari,for which a team was constituted. The teams task was to tranquilise the animals and shift them to the deer safari. However,the tranquillisers dose was not measured. So the animals were given an overdose of the tranquilliser, a zoo insider said. After they were given the shots,the animals never got up and eventually died.

According to sources,the white bucks were cremated late on Friday evening by the zoo staff on late night duty. The persons who allegedly cremated the animals are daily wagers and had joined the zoo a few months ago,an insider said.

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But the zoo director denied that three white bucks had died. Initially,Tushar Bahera feigned ignorance about any such incident but later confirmed the death of one white buck.

The number is not three. Yes,one white buck had died last week but it was not because of any overdose. There was a fight in one of the enclosures,where white bucks are kept. Two bucks had fought in which one lost his life, Bahera told Newsline.

Chhatbir zoo has around 20 white bucks. Most of these animals were born in the zoo over the last few years.

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