The death of an ostrich at Chennai’s Guindy Children’s Park after a week-long illness has exposed the park’s lack of a regular veterinarian and left officials yet to complete the mandatory postmortem process, according to a report by the Times of India.
The ostrich died on Wednesday after reportedly receiving no veterinary care during its illness. A forest department official later snapped its legs and placed the carcass in cold storage because the intact bird did not fit inside the available box. The carcass is now awaiting a postmortem examination, which also requires the presence of a veterinarian.
The park has been functioning without a regular veterinarian for more than a month. The absence has affected both the bird’s treatment before its death and the official procedures that follow an animal death at a zoo or zoological facility.
Central Zoo Authority guidelines require zoos, regardless of their size, to conduct a postmortem when a bird, reptile or mammal dies. Samples are collected to establish the cause of death and sent to institutions including the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur Zoo or Madras Veterinary College. The postmortem report is then required to be submitted to the Central Zoo Authority.
According to the report, none of these steps had been completed in the ostrich case at the time of publication. As a result, the cause of death remains undetermined and no report is currently available for submission to the authority.
The Guindy Children’s Park has about 400 exhibits, including birds, mammals and reptiles. The report said birds and deer species frequently develop health problems, making continuous veterinary support necessary for the animals kept at the facility.
Chennai Wildlife Warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas said the veterinarian previously working at the park had assured officials that she would remain until a replacement joined, but left before that transition was completed. “Now we have made a stopgap arrangement. We are taking veterinary help from Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary, Vandalur Zoo, and Snake Park,” he said.
Vilas also said Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University had agreed to send veterinary graduates to the park. The temporary arrangement is expected to provide veterinary assistance while officials address the vacancy and complete the required postmortem process for the ostrich.
