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5 Ostriches in Chennai zoo die of unknown disease

Chennai: At the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP) near Chennai, zoo officials are watching their captive birds closely after five ostriches died on Wednesday (October 27) and a couple of ostriches also seem sick.

It was reported that the five ostriches died suddenly on 27th October, according to zoo officials. The zoo previously held 32 ostriches, of which 5 succumbed to an unknown disease.

The Zoo Director reported that in-house vets and teams from the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) participated in the postmortem of the dead birds. Vet teams also treated the remaining ostriches to prevent the spread of the disease. Additionally, samples are being examined for bacteriology, virology, and toxicology.

Based on Wednesday’s blood smear and organ impression procedures, officials have ruled out the possibility of fowl cholera. Officials are monitoring the condition of other birds continuously.

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On Tuesday, a lioness aged 19 died in the Zoo due to old-age issues. After her death, officials conducted a postmortem.

AAZP, also known as Vandalur Zoo, has over 2400 animals of 180 species, making it one of the largest zoos in India. The zoo was mentioned for an outbreak of COVID-19 among captive Asiatic lions earlier this year. At a time when India was dealing with a severe second wave of the pandemic, 10 of the zoos 15 Asiatic lions tested positive for COVID-19 delta. Despite losing 2 lions (a male and female) to the pandemic, the zoo had successfully treated and revived 13 others.

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