Rhea, emu chick die at Hyderabad zoo due to injuries, climate issues
Zoo curator J. Vasantha said the six-year-old rhea died after sustaining severe head injuries.
Hyderabad:The Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad recently witnessed the deaths of two flightless birds— a rhea, a smaller distant cousin of the ostrich, succumbed to injuries and died four days ago, after fighting with another rhea, while a two-day-old emu chick died on Friday after being unable to adapt to the climatic conditions.
Zoo curator J. Vasantha said the six-year-old rhea died after sustaining severe head injuries. “Due to their natural breeding instincts, the birds were behaving aggressively which led to the fight between the two. Despite the efforts of caretakers to intervene, the bird did not survive,” said
The newborn emu chick died just two days after hatching, reportedly unable to cope with the weather conditions. “Such cases are quite common among these birds, as they require time to adapt to their environment due to their sensitive nature,” the curator explained.
Zoo authorities said they had been taking precautionary measures to safeguard the birds. Regular health check-ups, vaccinations, and sanitisation efforts are in place to reduce the spread of seasonal diseases.
“Caretakers have also set up shaded areas for protection and blocked the bird area with barricades in order to avoid contact with visitors. Seasonal experts are often called to monitor the condition of these birds. We are taking every possible measure to ensure their well-being,” added the zoo curator.
