As many as 297 birds of different species died at Byculla zoo over the last six years, allegedly due to poor conditions and attacks by rats



Many activists have criticised the zoo’s practice of keeping several species of birds in the same enclosure. These spaces are filthy and badly maintained. File pic

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Byculla zoo is operating on a wing and a prayer, and it’s the birds that bear the brunt of it. Now under intense scrutiny since the death of one of its Humboldt penguins, the zoo has managed to brush the death of nearly 300 birds under the carpet for the last six years.

For years, activists have campaigned against the poor conditions in which animals are kept in Veer Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, more popularly known as Byculla zoo. But it’s the birds who don’t have a prayer of survival — out of the 444 deaths at the zoo in the last six years, 67% of the victims were birds.

Rats!

A senior official from zoo said, “Fresh food and water is a must, or else it can lead to illness and death. Sometimes, rats nibble the food and trouble the birds.” However, zoo director Dr Sanjay Tripathi maintained that the high mortality rate was due to the advancing age of the bird population, as not much breeding was happening. “Most of the birds that died had completed their lifespan. One of the problems is the lack of breeding. Rats are not a major issue as we have fixed the holes in the enclosures and also put traps for precautionary measures.”

Worst hit

According to the data, the most vulnerable species were Finches, Painted storks (Indian Saras), Budgerigars and African Grey Parrots. While some of these species are native to the Indian subcontinent, many are from as far as Australia, Indonesia, China, Thailand and Africa. The worst impact was on the finches (Zebra Finch, Gouldian Finch, Society Finch). In 2010-11 alone, 80 of these birds passed away. More than double this number – 171 finches in total – died in the last six years.

Bad practices

Experts have also criticised the zoo’s practice of keeping different species of birds in the same enclosure. These spaces are often badly maintained and filthy. In fact, the zoo was also pulled up by the Central Zoo Authority earlier this year.

“Many precautions need to be taken when keeping birds in the enclosures. The first and most important thing is that different species should not be kept together in a single enclosure. Also, the enclosures in which the birds are kept should be kept hygienic. From time to time, there should be medical checks of the birds along with their food testing, as it helps prevent health complications,” said a senior vet.