Rescued panther dies at zoo

HYDERABAD: A four-year-old male panther, which was rescued by the AP Forest Department officials from Mahabubnagar district forest area on January 5, died at the Nehru zoological park here on Wednesday.According to the Nehru zoo officials, the panther had been suffering from paralysis and its spinal cord was almost non-functional by the time it was rescued. Its condition deteriorated and it died after a multiple organ failure.When the panther was rescued in Mahabubnagar, the officials had to carry it with their bare hands.“We tried our best to save the panther’s life, but we could not,” P Mallikarjuna Rao, Director of AP Zoos, told City Express.“Its health deteriorated by 80 per cent even before it was brought to the zoo,” he said.About seven panthers and three tigers, all rescued by the forest and zoo officials, have died in the three zoos of Hyderabad, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam in the last six months.Though officials assert that the best possible treatment was given to these rescued animals, some in the department claim that the zoos in the State are not equipped enough to treat them.“The government has not filled many posts in the last 15 years.Moreover, every year, the number of animals in the zoos is increasing by 9 per cent while the staff members are getting retired,” said an official at the Nehru zoological park.