Thanks to the hard work of Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, the Director of Nandankan Zoo, on the outskirt of State Capital. Death toll in the Zoo has drastically been reduced in 2008-09 financial year because of the pro-active role played by Pattnaik and his men. According to Zoo officials, the death rate is 3.1% during 2008-09, which is much lower than the national average of 10%.
“This has been possible due to excellent health care, husbandry practices and the environmental enrichment,” the Director argued. In 2004-5, the birth of spices including birds, mammals and reptiles was 181 and death was 90 followed by in 2005-06, the figure was 174 and 90 respectively. In 2006-07, birth of various spices recorded at 114 while death at 70 followed by in 2007-08, it was 143 and 60 respectively. In 2008-09, it was 163 and 44, which is being considered much less than the national average.
There are 1416 animals birds of more than 121 species in the zoo. Utmost care is taken to meet their biological and physical need through health care, providing healthy food and through enclosure enrichment.
Elaborating the heath care system of the Zoo, Pattnaik, said that the health care of the captive animals and birds of the zoo is actively carried out by three full time veterinary surgeons. Nandankanan is the only Zoo in the country with three zoo vets. There is a well equipped zoo hospital, an isolation ward, operation theatre and a quarantine unit, a postmortem hall and incinerators.
“In addition to this, there is a formal collaboration with the Orissa Veterinary College and a health committee is constituted with the experts from the OVC. The health committee visits the zoo at regular intervals for screening the health of the animals. There is a technical committee which meets every quarter and review the health care of the animals in great details,” he added.
Two doctors in two groups accompanied by the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Range Officer, Sanctuary Management and Forester, Sanctuary Management make a visit to each and every animal and bird starting from 8.00am to 10.30am every day. During their visit they make an observation and determine the follow up action in case of any sick animal detected, Pattnaik informed. During noon time, the VAS along with the team of staff from Sanctuary Management make a round particularly to the enclosures of animals and birds which are sensitive to heat stress, added he.
The afternoon round by the Veterinary Surgeon commence from 4.15pm particularly to the Carnivore enclosures when food is being served.
All the observations are entered both by the doctors as well as the A.C.F and the staffs from Sanctuary Management in the register maintained for individual enclosures.
In case of illness or any other predicament including the improvement of the enclosure, sanitation etc. recommendation is made in the register. The Senior Veterinary Officer personally attends to the sick as well as other animals which need attention. The Deputy Director makes it a point to visit the sick or ailing animal and personally supervises the treatment provided to the animals.
For the sick animals and birds, arrangements for night duty is made by the by detailing staff to keep a watch on the animals. The sick animal and bird are kept under surveillance round the clock under this mechanism, he said. Routine de-worming as well as the protocol for management of ecto and endo parasite is scrupulously followed.
The management of both ecto and endo parasite is one of the major task in a zoo. To make it more effective a long term research project is launched with effect from 1st April 2007 in a collaborative mode by the Orissa Veterinary College and Nandankanan Zoological Park with the financial assistance from the Central Zoo Authority.
The project will continue for next three years and based on the findings of project, a protocol for management of ecto and endo parasite would be developed. During the course of implementation of this project, from the interim findings the de warming schedule is upgraded based on the drug efficacy and the recurrence of endo parasite in case of endo parasites with encouraging results.
A strict protocol is followed for vaccination of the animals in the park. The feline species are administered with Triquin and Fel-O-Vax in addition to other vaccines. Blow pipe is used for administration of the vaccines since from December, 2006. After use of the blow pipe, the traditional method of re-staining of the animal in the squeeze cage is stopped, as a result of which the shock and injury and trauma to the animals while forcibly driving them to the squeeze cage is reduced significantly. The doctors are able to administer the vaccines and drugs smoothly without exerting any stress on the animals. The blister which used to develop after administration of Triquin is reduced after the adoption of the new method i.e. use of the blow pipe.
The food is very crucial for management of the captive animals and birds in a zoo. Good health and nutrition are crucial for the successful animal husbandry. To achieve this major thrust was given on the supply of best quality nutritious food to the animals. Following concrete steps is taken in this line.
A captive slaughter house is maintained at Nandankanan for feeding the carnivores. Zoo is the first zoo in the country to have its own slaughter house which became operational from September 2006. After commissioning of the slaughter house, it is possible to do both ante-mortem and post-mortem examination of the animals which are slaughtered.
The ante-mortem and the post mortem examination protocol of the animals slaughtered are scrupulously followed. During the ante-mortem, the animals are toughly examined for FMD and the temperature of the animal is recorded and in case of suspicion, the animal is rejected. After the slaughtering of the animal, blood smear from individual animal should is collected and the distribution of the meat is allowed only after the blood smear is microscopically examined and the animal is found to be free from any diseases.
A variety of fodder species are grown in the fodder farm spread over 31 acres of the zoo, keeping in mind the nutritional requirements of the captive animals. More than 1.5 M.T. fodders are produced here daily. This has given a great leverage to the park authority to get rid from the dependence on the grass and other species supplied from out side. As the grass from outside pose a potential threat of the highly contagious diseases like Anthrax and FMD the captive fodder farm is an insurance against outbreak of such highly contagious diseases.
A stringent quality control is ensured for each item of feed procured by the zoo. All the items are scrupulously screened and disinfected before it is distributed to the captive animals and birds. The feeding cubicles, kraals, as well as the enclosures are meticulously cleaned and the unwanted growth of ground vegetation is cleared at a regular interval. The water from the wet moat are cleaned and replenished at a regular interval. Nandankanan is known to be a non smelly zoo.
In addition to the hygiene of the enclosures, the sanitation standard of the entire park is significantly improved by way of outsourcing of the sanitation of the park to a competent private organization.
Elaborate summer care are taken by way of provision of the shade, cool water, thatching of the roof, spraying of water etc to avert the heat stress to the captive animals and birds. All water wholes inside the big cat enclosures are refreshed on daily basis. A team headed by a doctor move inside the park during the peak heat period and observes all the animals. Anti depressant and the summer food schedule is also followed. Due to the precaution there has been no death due to heat stress during current year, Pattnaik added.
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