Chennai: When an ostrich died at the Children’s Park, Guindy, on Wednesday after a week-long illness without veterinary care, a forest department official snapped its legs and stuffed the carcass in a cold storage because the intact bird did not fit in the box. Both during its illness and after its death, the bird did not get the attention it deserved because Children’s Park does not have a regular veterinarian. The bird is now awaiting postmortem, which also requires a veterinarian.Central Zoo Authority (CZA) guidelines require every zoo, whether small, medium or large, to conduct a postmortem when a bird, reptile or mammal dies. Samples are collected to confirm the cause of death and sent to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, the Vandalur Zoo or the Madras Veterinary College. The postmortem report must then be submitted to the CZA.None of these steps was followed in the ostrich case. The park has been functioning without a veterinarian for over a month, leaving the cause of death undetermined and no report available for the CZA.The park is home to about 400 exhibits, including birds, mammals, and reptiles. Birds and deer species frequently develop health problems. They need continuous veterinary care, which is currently absent.Chennai Wildlife Warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas said the veterinarian who had been working at the park assured officials she would stay until her replacement joined but left before that.“Now we have made a stopgap arrangement. We are taking veterinary help from Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary, Vandalur Zoo, and Snake Park,” he said. He said the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has agreed to send veterinary graduates to the park.
