Translocation stress kills Manipuri dancing deer

BHUBANESWAR: Nandankanan Zoological Park received a set of exotic animals from Assam On Tuesday. A day after, one of them, a rare Manipuri dancing deer, died.  The Manipuri antlered deer, called Sangai, was one of the four species of animals which were brought in an exchange programme with Guwahati Zoo. Its death has once again raked up the issue of stress that is associated with translocation of wild animals.   Informed sources said the antler appeared to be in a state of distress when it was brought on the crate on Tuesday. It seemed to have developed a problem with its neck. After taken out of the crate which carried it all the way from Guwahati in a train, it struggled to walk in Nandankanan Zoo and was grounded. It slept and was given rest. The Brow-antlered deer, measuring about 110 cm in length, appeared to have died in the night in its enclosure. The animal keepers spotted it in the morning and a postmortem was conducted by the Orissa College of Veterinary Science experts. Head of Veterinary Pathology Dr SK Panda said the four-year-old deer was pregnant and died due to shock caused by translocation stress. “It travelled for three days and struggled inside the crate which was being transported in a train. There were injuries on its body and cervical fracture,” Dr Panda told this paper. Since deer are  nervous animals, the Sangai suffered from cardiac haemorrhage, he said. Interestingly, on Tuesday, the Zoo officials wanted the crates carrying the animals to be unloaded at Bhubaneswar Railway Station but were asked to proceed to Puri since engaging and disengaging of the coaches are done only at the points of origin and termination. All the exchanged animals were put on a truck at Puri and ferried to Bhubaneswar adding to their stress. Nandankanan Zoo officials had brought in one male and two female Sangais from  Guwahati. It already has a female Sangai. Since captive breeding was one of the objectives behind the exchange, the death of the antler is unlikely to affect its programmes as the Zoo will still have two females and a male.