THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The zoo authorities have stopped getting beef from outside in the wake of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease among cattle in Balaramapuram on the outskirts of the city. Carnivores like lions, tigers, leopards and hyenas are fed 85 kilos of chicken per day. The four vultures get a kilo of mutton. Most of the beef supplied in meat markets are provided from Karamana and Balaramapuram.
The tender for the beef for the zoo was given to a meat seller at Karamana. The contractor supplies beef six days a week except on Monday when they are put on a fast. When the district administration's epidemiological intelligence cell alerted the zoo authorities about the outbreak of foot and mouth disease at Balaramapuram, the purchase of beef from there was stopped. A zoo official told DC that 130 kilos of beef, inclusive of bones, or 88 kilos of beef flesh is required daily.
"We do not want to take a chance with the big cats and hyenas. It is almost a month since they have been on chicken diet provided by KEPCO," said the official. The authorities have also vaccinated the animals against infections. In November, 2014 when the bird flu struck the state, the big cats in the zoo were fed with beef instead of chicken. When there was a threat of beef ban in June last year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had warned that the zoo's functioning would be hit. But, no crisis situation developed.
