At Delhi Zoo, only 2 doctors for around 1,300 animals

The death of five tiger cubs has raised fresh concerns about the glaring gaps in medical infrastructure at Delhi Zoo, the country’s only centrally administered zoological park. Officials told The Tribune that the zoo suffers from a lack of modern veterinary facilities.

Five out of the six cubs, born to tigress Aditi earlier this month, reportedly died due to infection, with zoo officials admitting that delayed diagnosis and lack of critical care facilities hampered their survival chances.

Zoo director Sanjeet Kumar admitted that the hospital inside the 1959-established facility is far from adequate to deal with modern wildlife health challenges. “The operation theatre is just a 48-sq m room without even a hydraulic table or a proper hanging light system,” he said.

The zoo houses nearly 1,300 wild animals, yet its hospital is confined to a 500 sq m structure with outdated equipment. The hospital has only one veterinary officer and one assistant veterinary officer. Regular health screenings of animals are rarely conducted as the hospital does not have the capacity.

Kumar explained that even in emergencies, samples have to be sent outside, often to private agencies. “This delay in diagnosis proves fatal in many cases. We do not even have our own pathologist, and the post of lab technician has not been filled,” he said.

On the possible cause of the cubs’ deaths, Kumar said the absence of early diagnosis and neonatal support likely played a role. “Weak immunity in newborns, sudden onset of infections and the inability to intervene in time due to lack of infrastructure — all of this might have contributed,” he told The Tribune.

“In such cases, every hour matters. We work 24 hours. Whenever animals are sick, we attend them no matter what time of the day it is,” said Dr Manoj, Curator at the Delhi zoo.

Dr Kumar explained that while during large litters, mortality in tiger cubs is globally known to be high, “in our case, weak immunity, changing climate and lack of basic neonatal facilities might have worsened their chances.”

Ideally, wildlife hospitals should have separate enclosures with crawl-out systems that allow sunlight and ventilation during treatment. At Delhi Zoo, no such facility exists.

“We don’t have dedicated recovery or stabilisation rooms, no CT scan, no hematology lab and no proper medicine room,” the director acknowledged.

“We need a dedicated newborn care centre with trained staff. Right now, we don’t even have permanent personnel for this. The reliance on daily wagers makes it impossible to build expertise,” Kumar noted.

Kumar said at least three full-time veterinary doctors are required, including a surgeon, along with two additional compounders and specialised hand-rearing staff. “The sanctioned strength itself is insufficient, and even those posts are not filled,” he said.

On the ground, the burden of animal handling during emergencies is often shifted to untrained daily wage workers sent on deputation by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

“We are just daily wagers. One day we are fixing cages, the next day we are told to help lift a sick leopard or a cub. We have no idea what to do,” said a worker who requested anonymity.

Another contractual worker said, “We do what we are told, we are not trained.”

Kumar pointed out that without modern equipment and trained manpower, even routine infections can escalate into life-threatening situations. He admitted that a significant reduction in mortality could be achieved if the hospital were upgraded.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that no animal suffers because of inadequate facilities. For that, we urgently need a hospital that matches the standards of a modern zoo,” Kumar said.