Baboon dies of 'severe infection' at Delhi zoo; lion suffers paralysis

An adult, female hamadryas baboon died at the Delhi zoo on Saturday, officials said. The African monkey had not been keeping well since September 10.

"Best possible treatment was given to the animal. Her condition was monitored round the clock," Delhi Zoo Director Ramesh Pandey said.

The viscera of the animal has been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, for further investigation.

With this, two baboons have died this month. The first one passed away on September 18. Only three baboons are left at the zoo now.

An 11-year-old lion, Sundaram, is also not in its best shape.

"The animal had developed an infection and nervine disorder on August 23 which was intensively monitored and treated in the veterinary hospital of the zoo, with the help of medical experts from Lion Safari, Etawah, and IVRI, Bareilly," Pandey said.

Another official said Sundaram was suffering from paralysis.

The feline has recovered significantly and is able to walk now. However, it is still under observation and intensive care, the zoo director said.

Pandey also said the animal mortality rate in the zoo has reduced by around 45 per cent in the last six months.

"If you look at data for the last six months, the animal mortality rate has reduced by 45-50 per cent. These results were possible through intensive health monitoring and heightened drills," he said.

In the last six months, around 65 animals have died. The number of deaths was more than 120 from October to March, the zoo director said.

The population of the zoo animals has also gone up due to births of species such as python, sambhar, spotted deer, black buck, and birds, he said.