Pune: Four stray dogs attacked and killed four deer at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park near Katraj. The incident came to light on Wednesday (January 6). Zoo officials said, prima facie, the stray dogs had entered the zoo from the Katraj lake side where temporary barriers were put up for restricting entry of animals and others while the drainage pipeline repair work was being carried out.

Of the total 34 deer inside the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, seven were attacked. Of these two bucks (male deer) and two hinds (female) were killed and another one injured in the attack which is suspected to have happened on Tuesday (January 5) night. By the time the security guards and other employees at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park came to know about the attack, the dogs had killed the deer. Later, the dogs were rescued by a dog squad.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is laying down the drainage line inside the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park. The work was started before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and was halted due to the lockdown and restrictions on work. The compound wall built along the water stream, that flows from Katraj upper lake towards the Katraj lake behind the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, has been damaged.

Stray animals, especially dogs, have entered the zoo premises on several occasions in the past. However, the security guards and employees at Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park had managed to save the animals from the attack of these stray dogs. PMC spends nearly seven 7 crores annually on maintenance activities. More than 20 lakh citizens and tourists visit the Park every year.