Belagavi, Nov. 18 -- The series of blackbuck deaths at the Rani Channamma Mini Zoo in Bhutaramanhatti, Belagavi taluk, continued with two more animals succumbing despite treatment, raising the death toll to 31.
Authorities suspect a bacterial infection as the cause.
A national-level institute, the National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI), had warned the state's Animal Husbandry Department three months ago about the high risk of a contagious disease, Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), affecting blackbucks in Belagavi and surrounding areas.
The warning was also sent to the Forest Department, zoos, and local farmers.
Despite these alerts, the Animal Husbandry and Forest Departments are accused of negligence ...