12 tigers and a leopard at Siddharth Zoo in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are being given food treated with boiled water, zoo veterinarian Dr Neeti Singh said on Thursday.
"We are sanitising the areas used by tigers and the lone leopard. The other areas are also being sanitised. Caretakers have been given detailed instructions on avian influenza symptoms. The staff has been directed to wear gumboots, gloves and masks," Singh added.
The new protocol was started after three tigers and a leopard died of avian influenza in Nagpur recently.
Meanwhile, Nagpur's Maharajbagh Zoo has temporarily stopped feeding chicken to wild animals at the facility, said Sunil Baviskar, chief health officer of the zoo.
The authorities at the Nagpur zoos have been directed to inspect the food before feeding the animals, he said, adding that the wildlife rescue centre that lost three tigers and a leopard has been asked to temporarily remain shut.
Chicken is not fed to tigers in the Nagpur zoo. However, leopards and other animals that sometimes eat birds naturally are given poultry meals, he said.
Baviskar maintained that none of the animals in the Maharajbagh Zoo is infected with bird flu or showing symptoms of the infection. "But as a precautionary measure, the supply of chicken for animals has been stopped in the zoo," he said. Besides routine sanitisation, disinfection is also carried out at the zoo every two days, he added.
Earlier, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said that the big cats died of avian influenza, possibly contracted after consuming chicken. However, the exact cause of death will be known only after the lab test report is received, he added.
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