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Rescued circus chimpanzee dies in Vandalur zoo

By P.Oppili

CHENNAI MARCH 15. One of the chimpanzees recently rescued from a circus by animal welfare activists and housed in the quarantine area of the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur, died early this morning.

The male chimpanzee, Shiva (22), had been ailing for the past week and the zoo authorities had brought in veterinarians from Madras Veterinary College, who along with the zoo vets, treated Shiva. The chimp, however, did not respond to treatment and died today.

The deceased chimpanzee was suffering from various ailments including severe enteritis and mouth ulcers, for quite a while now. A liver function test was conducted, says the AAZP Director, P.C.Tyagi. During the last week, Shiva began eating poorly and a motion test revealed indigestion, he says.

Clearly, the poor health of the chimp could be attributed to being `overworked' in the circus, without proper health care, authorities opine. Due to the exploitation, a circus chimp's lifespan is merely 20 years, much lower than that of other simians in captivity. Records show that chimpanzees live for about 35 years in captivity.

The condition of another rescued female chimp, Ganga, was also `very bad'. Unlike the zoo chimpanzees, she is not eating the entire quantity of fruits and other vegetables provided to her. "She is eating only a portion of the feed provided by us and leaves most of the items, such as apples, untouched. Compared to chimpanzees of the same age in the zoo, Ganga's intake of food is very less", observes Mr P.C.Tyagi.

Talking about Lakshmi, the paralysed chimp also rescued along with Shiva, Mr Tyagi said that all her wounds had healed and though weak, she was now regularly sleeping the in the waterbed donated by a philanthropist. However, the chain around her neck could not be removed despite best efforts, zoo authorities added. A blacksmith had been summoned twice to remove the chain, but, after the animal refused to cooperate, zoo authorities have temporarily shelved the idea of removing the metal chain from her neck.

For the past one-week, two animal keepers have been specially posted in the quarantine area, after Shiva fell sick. They have been asked to continue their monitoring work for a few more days at the same place.

After bringing the chimpanzees from the circus, the Zoo authorities have set aside a special spacious enclosure in the quarantine area. When the former Union Minister and noted animal welfare activist, Maneka Gandhi visited the chimpanzees in February, she requested the zoo authorities to provide more entertainment to distract the rescued chimps.

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