KARACHI, Aug 13: It is not only the four lion cubs that fell victim to the utter negligence of the zoo staff in recent times, mortalities especially of newborns are common at the zoo and are often hushed up, inquiries by Dawn reveal.

Sources said four newborns of a fallow deer and a male baboon had also died in captivity over a month ago.

Though no official account was available on these deaths, the source said the death of newborns due to navel infections was a common occurrence at the zoo while animals were vulnerable to eating plastic bags and wrappers thrown into their cages by visitors.

Earlier this year, a complete herd of mouflons (two male and four female), a male fallow deer, a male ostrich and a female crocodile also reportedly died at the zoo. The herd of mouflons, reportedly sick, vanished in 11 days.

Zoo officials, as usual, didn’t respond to repeated calls made to inquire about the deaths.After the loss of these animals, the number of ostriches and crocodiles fell to three (two females and a male) and 18 (kept in the same enclosure), respectively.

There are, however, more than 30 fallow deer in the zoo.

According to zoo sources, ostriches have been at the zoo for over six years. And though the birds have been laying eggs, no one has ever seen a chick around. The zoo also never witnessed a growing big cats’ cub for at least three decades despite the fact that it once had a good collection of big cats that included a pair of lions, pumas and tigers and leopards.

The zoo lost them one by one, and right now it is left with only three male lions and Bengal tiger and leopard. On Friday, three lion cubs, barely five days old, born to a pair of lions whose custody is currently being contested in court, were found dead atthe zoo on Friday. One cub, according to zoo officials, was eaten up by its mother.

Non-friendly conditions for animals at the zoo and frequent mortalities point to the fact that the facility for captive animals lacks competent, trained staff as well as adequate funds required for animal upkeep, said experts.

‘Good management is key’Giving specific information in the context of recent lion cubs’ death, Dr Masood-ul-Haq, who served as the director of the Bahawalpur zoo for over two decades and now works as a consultant for a number of parks and public zoos, said it was very rare for a female to eat her own baby.

“Often a male does that. The female can do it if the baby gets an injury and she tastes her blood. It is common among females of any species after their first birth to stop nursing their babies. Hence, one has to keep an eye on the babies and the mother to see whether she is feeding them properly. The babies can be bottle-fed if the mother doesn’t respond positively,” he said, adding that he monitored the progress of the family through a CCTV camera.

The lions’ babies are born blind and must not be touched without covering ones’ hands with a cloth.

“The lioness has a strong sense of smell. She could stop nursing the baby if she gets the feeling that the babies have been touched by someone. The cub’s eyes get mature in 15 to 20 days,” he said.

Dr Haq claimed that about 100 lion cubs were born at the Bahawalpur zoo during his tenure as director and many of them were gifted to zoos and parks across Punjab.

Answering a question regarding the lions’ diet, he said the animals under his care got milk twice daily, besides beef, often laced with cod liver oil and other specific ingredients to improve their digestive system.

“The key is good management and proper feeding. Animals fear humans and one must try to become friendly with them so that they could live and produce successfully. The pair of the lion cubs that I used to take to my office is the one that has given births recently,” he said, adding that his lions were the most beautiful in the country.