Maharashtra: 4 blackbucks in Pune zoo die after attack by stray dogs

Four blackbucks have died of shock and one has been injured after some stray dogs attacked them in the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Maharashtra's Pune district, an official said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday morning in the zoo located at Katraj in Pune, the zoo director, Rajkumar Jadhav, said.

Blackbucks are protected animals under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which prohibits their hunting and poaching. Some stray dogs sneaked into the zoo and got inside the enclosure of blackbucks, the official said. "Blackbucks are shy animals. On seeing the stray dogs, four blackbucks - two male and two female - died on the spot due to shock," he said.

Another blackbuck received injuries as it was bitten by the canines, he said. The official said security guards reached the enclosure immediately and drove out all the dogs. Asked how the stray dogs got into the zoo, Jadhav said a wall construction work is going on in one part of the premises.

"It seems the dogs might have got access to the zoo premises from there," he said. After the death of the four animals, there are now 30 blackbucks in the zoo, the official said. "We have sent a report about the incident to the Pune Municipal Corporation," he added.