The Hindu : Paralysed chimpanzee dies at Vandalur Zoo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Paralysed chimpanzee dies at Vandalur Zoo

By P. Oppili

A picture of Lakshmi, chimpanzee at the Vandalur Zoo, soon after she was rescued. - Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI APRIL 1. Lakshmi, the paralysed chimpanzee rescued from a circus and housed at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur, died on Tuesday morning.

According to zoo veterinarians, the 23-year-old chimpanzee showed no signs of deterioration till Monday night. Around 10 p.m. one of the veterinary doctors, Tirumurugan, made a routine visit to the quarantine area. The animal was responding to him and was found to be normal. She could have died around 3 a.m., the doctors said.

During the past one week, her food intake had come down. She stopped taking hard vegetables and fruits and preferred grapes, watermelons, tomatoes and bread. She also refused to take the milk with oats.

The authorities along with the People for Animals (PfA) volunteers could remove the ring from Lakshmi's neck only on February 23. The ring with two locks was tied to her neck when she was very young and it became almost part of her neck, while in captivity in a circus.

Actually, Lakshmi sustained a fracture in the thoracic vertebra, which came to light when a team of veterinarians from the Tamil Nadu Animal and Veterinary Sciences University (TANUVAS) examined and they also saw a calcification. The check up was conducted on February 4 at the Madras Veterinary College. The college authorities felt that the animal could have sustained the injury when it was made to perform acts in the circus. They also suggested that it was not advisable to go in for a surgery and the animal was brought back to the zoo.

The college authorities also conducted some tests to check whether the animal had some viral infection at the TANUVAS Central Laboratory at Madhavaram. However, the results showed no sign of any viral infection and the report was handed over to zoo authorities on February 5.

Animal welfare activists in the city felt that while she was with the circus she had been forced to perform before the audience and was under severe stress and strain.

The moment she was rescued and housed at the zoo, she had the best of facilities including a waterbed, which helped her respond to the treatment provided by the zoo veterinarians. `Whether she had a comfortable birth or life is irrelevant now. She had a peaceful and comfortable death at the zoo', added the activists.

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