Alex, an Australian Kangaroo which was one of the three animals rescued from suspected wildlife traffickers in Siliguri, West Bengal earlier this year has died.
According to authorities at the Bengal Safari Park at Siliguri, where the rescued animals were sheltered, Alex died of food poisoning on Tuesday.
BCCL/ FILE
Food poisoning from wild mushrooms
Alex had reportedly been suffering for the last few days after consumption of wild mushrooms grown within the safari park premises and was under treatment. However, nothing worked out and Alex died on Tuesday afternoon.
Expressing concern over the death of Alex, state forest minister, Jyotipriyo Mullick said that a detailed enquiry will be conducted to ascertain the death of Alex. “It will also be looked into whether there was any negligence on part of the Bengal Safari Park officials or not,” he added.
The director of Bengal Safari Park, Dawa Sherpa refused to comment on the development unless the postmortem is conducted.
Last kangaroo also suffering food poisoning
With the death of Alex, the Bengal Safari Park is left with just one Kangaroo.
BCCL/FILE
And there is more bad news, as Zavier, the last remaining rescued Kangaroo is also suffering from food poisoning and is currently undergoing treatment.
Four kangaroos found in Bengal
A total of three Kangaroos were rescued from the wildlife smugglers at Siliguri- adjacent Belakoba-Baikunthapur forest division in April this year.
WB | Forest officials rescued two Kangaroos near Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri.
The kangaroos had some serious injuries on their bodies & have been sent to Bengal Safari Park for further treatment. A team has been formed to probe the matter: S Dutta, RO, Belakoba Forest Range (01.04) pic.twitter.com/kT40YmyDmq
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2022
One of the three rescued animals, Lucus, had died from dehydration and malnutrition just days after they were moved to the Bengal Safari Park.
BCCL
It is believed that the smugglers had at least four kangaroos, which are native to Australia in their custody.
Days, after the baby kangaroos were rescued by the Forest Officials from a forested area near the border of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, the carcass of another one, was found in Farabari area.
BCCL
In March too an adult red kangaroo was rescued from Kumargram near the West Bengal-Assam border in the Alipurduar district and two people from Hyderabad were arrested for attempting to smuggle them.
Why were the kangaroos in Bengal?
While India is no stranger to the illegal trafficking of wildlife, often to be kept as exotic pets, the discovery of smuggled kangaroos had left even the Forest officials confused.
To date, it is unclear how the kangaroos landed up in Bengal, where they were heading, why were they being trafficked and who was behind it.
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