Agartala: Four leopards have died in the zoo at the Sipahijala sanctuary in past four days due to protozoa infection, zoo authorities said on Friday.
"The zoo authorities found on Monday that one leopard was suffering from fever and convulsion and had stopped eating food. He died that night. Later two leopards died on Tuesday and another on Thursday," Zoo Director Krishna Gopal Roy told reporters.
A team of veterinary experts led by Dr Kushal Sharma of the College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, had gone to the state on Thursday following invitation from the state government and examined the animals.
Meanwhile, animal disease examination centre of the state found the protozoa of 'haemoprotozoan diseases' in the blood and other body samples of the animals which is highly infectious.
Roy said the expert team led by Sharma had suggested among others burning down of the shrubs around the zoo to check spread of the disease.
Sharma also stated that due to rain the level of infection would be low.
Sepahijala sanctuary is also the only National Park for Clouded Leopard, an endangered species, mostly found in Tripura. However, the clouded leopards were not infected so far, Roy said.
In December last year, the lone rhino of the zoo died of anthrax.
