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Close encounters of the wild kind
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The job of a zoo doctor is no child's play. Metro Plus takes a look at the experiences of the veterinary surgeon at the zoo in the city
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The Zoo director C.S. Yelakki, and the veterinary surgeon C.S. Jayakumar, with the ostrich chicks
WHEN THE future of seven birds is in your hands, your position is highly unenviable. And when the birds turn out to be month-old ostriches, you have your task cut out. More so, when you have had not any experience of rearing these birds. This, however, is one of the many risks that a zoo doctor faces in the course of his work. And though the rewards at the end of the day could include snarls, bites, or even vicious attacks, the sheer enjoyment their work brings keeps these doctors going.
New arrivals
The ostrich chicks in question were being smuggled from Dubai to Nedumbassery and were brought to the zoo on the directive of the former Minister, T. M. Jacob. Says Dr. C. S. Jayakumar, veterinary surgeon, zoo hospital: "We had little to fall back upon except our experience in treating other birds. Browsing the Internet to study in detail the history, behaviour, physiology, and feeding patterns of the ostriches helped us."
The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, was also contacted. "I did my post-graduation there and at that time, some 100 ostriches were brought to the university for research on ostrich farming. The university was not of much help though," says Jayakumar.
He then took a calculated risk and started feeding the ostriches dog food (courtesy the information on the Net), six types of medicinal plants, including kodangal, bananas, and routine dose of vitamins and other nutrients. It sure took a lot of guts, for at stake were the lives of six ostriches (one died soon after arrival) that had the potential to become one of the star attractions of the zoo.
Jayakumar seems to have pulled it off. "The birds have grown 50 cm in last one month," says the zoo director, C. S. Yelakki. But they are not celebrating yet. "The next month will also be critical for the birds," says Jayakumar. And if all goes well, the ostriches will be moved from the semi-intensive enclosure to the exhibitory in a few months, Yelakki adds.
Small is ugly
Often, it is something small like the common crow that can have the zoo staff on tenterhooks. "Crows pose a threat to passive animals like emu and sambar deer. Crows pick at their flesh and take out chunks of it," says Jayakumar. When this happens, it is time for Jayakumar to take the affected animal under his wings. The zoo authorities posted a staff member near the enclosures of these animals to shoo away the crows.
What takes the cake though is treatment of small wounds on a big animal. "Small wounds may go unnoticed. Soon, maggots and flies settle in and the wound becomes a gaping hole requiring immediate treatment," says Jayakumar. And when the victim happens to be a not-so hapless tiger, the entire experience can be a nerve-wracking one. "Tigers have to be put in a squeeze cage, which limits their mobility and facilitates application of medicine. But when it starts feeling the space constraint, the tiger gets provoked and may start taking somersaults in the cage," says Jayakumar. An angry tiger is hardly the best of company, you would agree.
Under the weather
Surgical procedures are most risky. "An old lion was suffering from cataract. We sought the opinion of Dr. Mahadevan of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in the city. Since the lion had brought in a lot of revenue for the zoo, we decided that in all fairness, the cataract should be operated upon to improve the quality of life of the animal in its last days. The anaesthesia for the surgery was administered by Dr. Saji of Santwana Hospital," says Jayakumar. The help of fellow professionals proves to be a huge morale booster, he adds.
Instances of people who have had a close shave abound. Says Dr. Yelakki: "We had procured a young male cape buffalo and released it into the enclosure occupied by three female cape buffaloes. Things seemed fine for a few hours, but by evening, the female buffaloes were chasing the male one around. The male who had spent six days travelling in a confined space ran out of steam soon and headed for the water body in the middle of the pond. Its three attackers bided their time. Meanwhile, four worried staff members entered the enclosure in a bid to ward off the females. When they reached near the pond, the tired male buffalo mustered up some strength and headed straight for one of the men. The man made a beeline for a tree that had low branches and scrambled up. He had a near escape."
Not everyone is this lucky. In December last, the keeper of the rhino enclosure had gone in to feed the animal when it attacked him fatally.
Monkeying about
Life is all about such unfortunate incidents and moving ahead. Man's nearest cousin, the monkey, is a source of perennial delight. "You administer an injection to a monkey for two days and the third day, it will extend its hand on it own," says Jayakumar with a grin.
R. K. ROSHNI
Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
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Kochi
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Visakhapatnam
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