TNN RAIPUR: With a report of Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) that the death of 22 spotted deer on January 16 at Kanan Pendari Zoo at Bilaspur wasn't due to anthrax as the report termed it as 'negative' on Saturday. The official source said that following the report, now specialists from Wild Life of India and IVRI would visit Bilaspur's Nandan Kanan Pendari Zoo on February 4 for further investigation.
"Forest department's surveillance teams which have been on a visit to nearby areas of zoo on a radius of 10 kilometers didn't find a single sick animal whom they could vaccinate. Hence, it's clear that the virus was definitely not the reason for animals' death," an official said.
Demanding a high level probe, opposition Congress said that the Indian Veterinary Research Institute has rejected state wildlife officials preliminary claim that the animals died due to anthrax infections.
In a statement issued here, state Congress spokesman Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said the death of 21 spotted deer was the outcome of criminal negligence on the part of zoo officials, who tried to cover up the death by propagating that it could be due to anthrax infection.
Trivedi said the Congress in Bilaspur had also raised the question how the animals died one by one within a short span of time, raising doubts whether the spotted deer were poisoned. He said there was an urgent need to conduct an inquiry by an independent agency into the circumstances led to the death of zoo animals.
Opposition leaders in Bilaspur had alleged on January 17 that a local BJP legislator and his friends had 'partied' at zoo a night before 21 spotted deer were found dead. They alleged that anthrax theory was floated deliberately in order to create a scare so as to divert attention from other circumstances that could have come to light during investigations.
Earlier, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Ram Prakash had told reporters: "Spotted deer died due anthrax infection. Analysis of symptoms confirms that the animals were infected by bacteria called Bacillus anthracis."
"The dead herbivorous animals showed symptoms of Anthrax bacteria as blood came out through mouth and anus. The stomach swelled like a balloon because of infection," he had said.
"Forest department's surveillance teams which have been on a visit to nearby areas of zoo on a radius of 10 kilometers didn't find a single sick animal whom they could vaccinate. Hence, it's clear that the virus was definitely not the reason for animals' death," an official said.
Demanding a high level probe, opposition Congress said that the Indian Veterinary Research Institute has rejected state wildlife officials preliminary claim that the animals died due to anthrax infections.
In a statement issued here, state Congress spokesman Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said the death of 21 spotted deer was the outcome of criminal negligence on the part of zoo officials, who tried to cover up the death by propagating that it could be due to anthrax infection.
Trivedi said the Congress in Bilaspur had also raised the question how the animals died one by one within a short span of time, raising doubts whether the spotted deer were poisoned. He said there was an urgent need to conduct an inquiry by an independent agency into the circumstances led to the death of zoo animals.
Opposition leaders in Bilaspur had alleged on January 17 that a local BJP legislator and his friends had 'partied' at zoo a night before 21 spotted deer were found dead. They alleged that anthrax theory was floated deliberately in order to create a scare so as to divert attention from other circumstances that could have come to light during investigations.
Earlier, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Ram Prakash had told reporters: "Spotted deer died due anthrax infection. Analysis of symptoms confirms that the animals were infected by bacteria called Bacillus anthracis."
"The dead herbivorous animals showed symptoms of Anthrax bacteria as blood came out through mouth and anus. The stomach swelled like a balloon because of infection," he had said.
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