Six black bucks died at Sayaji Baug zoo in Gujarat's Vadodara Friday after they were allegedly attacked by a pack of stray dogs, officials said Saturday.
The samples of these black bucks have been sent to a veterinary hospital in Anand to know the exact cause of their death, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Ajay Bhadoo said.
On Friday (November 30), a pack of stray dogs entered the black buck enclosure in the zoo and attacked them, he said.
He said of the total six black bucks found dead, only 3 to 4 of them had dog bite marks on their back or legs, which could not be fatal.
Bhadoo said postmortem of the black bucks conducted in the presence ofveterinarians of the Animal Husbandry department has ruled out dog bites as the cause of death.
"Two black bucks were badly injured as stray dogs mauled them," he said.
Black bucks are highly protected species under the schedule I of the Wildlife ProtectionAct.
VMC zoo curator Dr Pratyush Patankar said, "Black bucks are sensitive and timid animals. They would have got scared and ran amok after seeing the dogs. They might have died of shock and not because of dog bites".
Meanwhile, Bhadoo has warned of strict action against the zoo staff over the incident.
He said heavy fine would be imposed on the private agency manning security at the garden.
"We have apprised the Delhi-based Central Zoo Authority of the incident. A detailed communication will be sent to them once we received a report from Anand," he said.
