LUCKNOW: Amid the growing threat of avian influenza, or bird flu, an Asiatic lion ‘Pataudi’ died at the Kanpur zoo on Thursday morning, days after being brought in for treatment following the death of a tigress Shakti from the virus.Pataudi was brought to Kanpur zoo from Ashfaq Ullah Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur on May 11.Meanwhile, the Kanpur Zoo authorities sent the visceral samples of the feline to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal for testing. The state wildlife authorities had already shut the three zoos, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur, along with the Etawah Lion Safari till May 20 as a precautionary measure amid the bird flu scare. Moreover, additional samples from animals have been collected and sent for testing.As per informed sources, Pataudi, aged 15, was brought to Etawah Lion Safari from Junagarh in Gujarat in September 2019. After spending two years at the safari, he was relocated to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021.The wildlife authorities claimed that the lion was undergoing treatment for pancreatic and hepatic infections. For the last two days, the feline had stopped consuming food and was surviving only on water. He was administered intravenous medication, and a thorough examination was conducted by veterinary doctors on Wednesday.
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