Mala, a lioness at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, gave birth to a stillborn male cub on Monday.
“We are concerned about Mala’s physical and psychological health because she lost her cub due to stillbirth,” said a zoo official. “We provided Mala with the best facilities and separated her from the lion months before delivery,” he said. This is the first delivery of the six-year-old lioness. The lion population at the zoo is 15 including nine-month old Vishnu, which was born in captivity to lioness Jhansi. This is the second sad development at the zoo. Last Sunday, tigress Uthra delivered four cubs, but all of them died due to injuries caused by their mother. This raised several questions over the maintenance of animals.
However, a senior zoo official denied any complacency on their part, as it was quite normal to lose one or two cubs during delivery or post-delivery care.