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Tiger deaths: Pressure on Patnaik to punish officials

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is under tremendous pressure from national and international wildlife organisations and animal lovers to take tough action against officials responsible for the deaths of 11 tigers at Nandankanan zoo.

"With messages pouring from inside and outside the country, Patnaik has no option but to take tough measures," sources close to Patnaik said.

On Thursday, Patnaik said he was shocked by the deaths and that the guilty officials would be punished. Sources said Patnaik is waiting for the verdict of the expert team sent by the Centre, which is expected today.

There was a hue and cry in the state assembly on Thursday over the delay in taking action against zoo officials and the wildlife department. Opposition Congress leaders were supported by ruling party members on this issue.

Sources say even some of Patnaik's cabinet colleagues are pressing for quick action. However, Orissa Minister of Forests A P Singh said action could only be taken after the post mortem and pathological test results are available.

Investigations have revealed that though the first tiger fell victim to trypanosoma, a disease of blood on June 23, the authorities did nothing to prevent the infection from reaching the current epidemic proportions.

Wildlife experts feel that timely action could have prevented the mass deaths on Tuesday and Wednesday. Trypanosoma is a common disease among captive tigers and there is every possibility of it being transmitted through vectors, said a senior veterinary expert here.

There are very few willing to buy Assistant Conservator of Forests Manoj Mahapatra's assertion that special attention was given to all tigers following the first death.

Some local dailies blamed the callousness of the authorities for the deaths. It is reported that the tiger keepers had objected to the administration of the drug Berenil on Monday since the animals were fasting. But the authorities did not pay any heed.

Patnaik was informed about the deaths on Wednesday morning only after seven tigers had succumbed to the disease.

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