CHENNAI: Animals in Chennai’s Vandalur zoo live a healthier life in hygienic surroundings than those in Children’s Park at Guindy Amirthi zoo in Vellore and free-roaming wildlife like spotted deer, mongoose and jackals in an around the city. The parasite load in animals in Vandalur zoo is lesser than those in the above-mentioned zoos and in free-roaming animals.Director of the institute Shekhar Kumar Niraj told TOI that 200 faecal samples had been collected from the animals in the three zoos and from the free-ranging animals for the study. Analysis of the faecal matters clearly showed low parasite density in zoo animals.The low density of parasites in zoo animals was mainly due to hygienic conditions around zoo enclosures, periodical health check-up and continuous monitoring of health condition of the animals by a team of veterinarians.However, the zoos required a more systematic observation, analysis of disease and advanced level of vet care backed up with continuous research on the health, food and habitat aspects of wildlife there, which is lacking at present, he said.During the study, the team recorded the presence of 20 different parasites loaded in wildlife, he said.Among the free-ranging animals, the spotted deer in the Guindy National Park is found to have very high parasite load. This could be due to their habit of feeding on plastic materials and food waste left over by humans.Similarly, the jackal in the Guindy National Park too have some health problems due to parasites. Parasites, if go unnoticed, may prove fatal to the wildlife, he said.“Right now, we are at the initial stages of quantifying the parasite load in the wildlife and animals in smaller zoos. It will take some more time to quantify the actual load. Then the treatment part comes into picture, which will further improve the health condition of the animals in both the smaller zoos and the free ranging ones,” he said.

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