Injured in fight, lion-tailed macaque dies at Thiruvanthapuram zoo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 23-year-old male lion-tailed macaque, Raman, died at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo on Friday morning following injuries suffered in a fight between two macaques earlier this week. The incident occurred on Wednesday when zoo staff were shifting the macaques to another enclosure for cleaning. During the process, two macaques became aggressive and attacked each other, leaving Raman seriously injured. Although his external wounds were treated, veterinarians later detected internal bleeding and multiple rib fractures. Zoo officials had decided to shift him to the Kudappanakunnu multi-speciality hospital for surgery, but he died before the procedure could be carried out. Raman was brought to the Thiruvananthapuram zoo from the Kodanad forest division in 2008. Veterinary surgeon Nikesh Kiran said fights among lion-tailed macaques, which usually live in small groups, are common. With Ramans death, the zoo now houses three male and three female lion-tailed macaques. The Thiruvananthapuram zoo is part of the Central Zoo Authoritys coordinated conservation breeding programme for the species. Zoo director Manjuladevi said steps are being taken to bring in new macaques from the Vandalur zoo in Chennai, which coordinates the national breeding project.