The Hindu : Karnataka News : Death of animals: zoo employee suspended

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Death of animals: zoo employee suspended

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, SEPT. 28. An employee of the Mysore zoo has been suspended after laboratory reports confirmed that the lion-tailed macaque had died of poisoning.

Lingan, a lion-tailed macaque, died on August 31 fuelling speculation that the hapless animal must have been a victim of foul play given the history of the zoo.

A few days later, two elephants — Ganesha and Roopa — died. Although the officials initially expressed fears of a viral infection, results of tests done at the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Biologicals in Bangalore said the two elephants were poisoned to death.

However, the analysis of the viscera and samples of the lion-tailed macaque was sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Bangalore and the results proved that it was a victim of poisoning.

There is speculation that some people in the zoo first tried the poison on the monkey and subsequently increased the dose when targeting the elephants.

The Executive Director of the Mysore zoo, Manoj Kumar, has lodged a complaint with the Nazarbad police and sought a detailed investigation and placed the animal keeper under suspension.

Sources said the police were not yet close to cracking the case but were working overtime given the gravity of the crime. The investigating team may subject the suspended zoo employees and others to a polygraph test.

The police said they were determined to zero in on the mastermind behind the crime.

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