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It was not virus that killed two elephants in City Zoo in the first week of this month. In a most inhuman act, they were poisoned to death. A laboratory report has made this shocking revelation, which was released to the press yesterday. Mr. R. S. Suresh, Chief Conservator of Forests, addressing a press conference in the Zoo premises yesterday, disclosed poisoning as the reason for the death of two elephants.

Six mahouts have been suspended in this connection, Mr. Suresh said.

It may be recalled that Ganesha (30), the male elephant, died under mysterious circumstances in the Zoo on September 4, followed by the death of Roopa (18), a female, on September 7.

The second elephant's death made it only more mysterious. Not only the veterinarians of the Zoo but also by external experts did post -mortem on the two dead elephants, Mr. Suresh explained. Viscera as well as blood samples of the two elephants had been sent to different institutions under Police supervision. The Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Bangalore has confirmed in its report that the elephants had died of poisoning, the Chief Conservator of Forests observed.

Ganesha, the male elephant, had died of severe hemorrhage and respiratory problems following dysentery caused by the toxic effects of Zinc Phosphide, which is used as rat poison. Roopa, the female elephant had died in a similar way, Mr. Suresh explained. Although the zoo veterinarians had reported that the deaths had taken place due to gastro-enteritis and endocarditis, both the testing agencies had inferred that the deaths were due to poisoning, he said.

Experts unanimous:
Four veterinary doctors of the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals had given their unanimous verdict that both the elephants had died due to poisoning and had affixed their signatures to the post-mortem report, Mr. Suresh explained.

Only mahouts:
The two elephants would allow only the mahouts to come close to them. They were accepting the food only from them. In that backdrop, six mahouts had been suspended as a first measure, Mr. Suresh disclosed. The Executive Director of Mysore Zoo Mr. Manoj Kumar has lodged a complaint with Nazarbad Police Station, Mr. Suresh explained.

Grave offence:
The act of killing an elephant was a criminal one of the worst kind, it is punishable under Wild Life Protection Act Section 51, Section 9 and Indian Penal Code 429, he remarked. The provisions of the Act attract severe punishment and there shall not be any doubt in that matter, he added. There being tight security in the Zoo, there was no possibility for any outsider to come to the Zoo and commit such crime. "If the Zoo staff themselves brought poison from outside, it would be difficult to keep track of that. If they hide the stuff or bring the same in their lunch box, how was it possible to know that?" he asked.

High-level probe:
In the context of the safety of more than 1,000 animals in the Zoo being in danger, different security and administrative measures had been put in place and the Government had been requested to order high level probe into the deaths, Mr. Suresh said. The motive behind the killing of elephants in the Zoo are not yet clear, but it has been realised that the killers were none other than the Zoo's staff, he observed. The conspiracy that led to the crime has to become known only after the Police investigation, he added.

Painful:
That the people who are entrusted with the case of the animals have themselves become the killers is a painful matter. Some crude poison sold either in K. R. Circle or some roadside location had been fed to the elephants resulting in their death, Mr. Adishesh, member of the Governing Council, Zoo Authority, opined. Only suspension measure had been taken on six mahouts because it had not been clear who the real culprits were, nor anyone arrested, he said.

Fodder is supplied to the Zoo once in 15 days while fruits and vegetables are supplied daily at 8.30 am. Contractors supply these and there is no truth in saying that these contain poison. If that was so, the adverse effect would have been on other animals also, Mr. Manoj Kumar, said. All the food is centrally processed and sent in carts for feeding the animals in the Zoo, he explained.

The preparations are fed in the form of lumps. If they are smeared with poison, the animals will not consume, he observed. Therefore, whoever has killed the animals has done so by placing the poison inside, he alleged. It is yet to be made clear by laboratory investigations how the death of the Macaque took place earlier, Mr. Manoj Kumar said, adding that why the mahouts poisoned the elephants causing their death has to become known only after the investigations were completed.

Ms. Susheela Keshavamurthy, Chairperson, Zoo Authority, Mr. S. Dakshinamurthy, Mayor, who is also a member of the Zoo Authority and Mr. M. K. Appayya, Member of the Zoo Authority, were present.

As the Zoo Authority officials unravelled the mystery behind the deaths of two elephants in the Zoo, four mahouts have since been absconding while the Police have taken two mahouts into custody for interrogation.

All the six mahouts were present in the Zoo premises when the emergency meeting of the Governing Council of Zoo Authority of Karnataka was underway last evening and they quietly left the place as the Police personnel started arriving a short-while before the Zoo Director Mr. Manoj Kumar began the media conference. Mr. Manoj Kumar disclosed in the media conference that six mahouts, who were attending on the Zoo elephants, had been kept under suspension to facilitate probe into the deep-rooted conspiracy behind the poisoning of elephants to death on September 4 and 7 this month.

Police today said that they took Azeez and Kakanakote Krishna, two mahouts, into custody last night following complaint from the Zoo Authority and were on the lookout for four other mahouts, who are absconding since last evening.

According to available information, the Police are searching for mahouts C. Mahadev of Maleyur, L. Mahadev alias Chaddi of Sakkalli, Venkate Gowda of Choranahalli and Nagesh, who have been suspended in connection with the death of the elephants. The Police said the interrogation of these mahouts would help them to bust the conspiracy leading to the arrest of the real culprits. Nazarbad Police Inspector Mr. Vijaya Kumar, who has registered the complaint, said that they would arrest the remaining four mahouts by this evening.

Star of Mysore was right:
With the lab report confirming the death of the Zoo elephants due to poisoning, the genuine suspicion expressed by Star of Mysore on August 31, September 4 and Sept. 7 has been vindicated. Star of Mysore in its report had suspected foul play in these deaths. It reminded the readers that such deaths are 'common' in the Zoo whenever a new strict Director steps in and cracks down on miscreants among the employees.

A deer calf died on Aug. 30 the day on which the new Director Mr. Manoj Kumar suspended a clerk Raju Gowda for cheating the Zoo in CD sales with fake duplicate receipts. The Director immediately suspended deer keeper Mahadeva for negligence. The very next day the Lion Tailed Macaque 'died' under mysterious circumstances. It was followed by the death of male elephant Ganesha (30) on September 4 and female elephant Roopa (18) on September 7.

It is time for the Government to act tough.