Ailing hippo at Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo finally steps out after 20 days in water
According to Alipore Zoological Garden, the hippopotamus, suffering from a neurological disorder, had been responding positively to UV and infrared ray therapies.
According to zoo sources, the hippo had been responding positively to antibiotics and other medications aimed at stimulating its nerves. (Image: kolkatazoo.in/ Representative Photo) After remaining confined to water for nearly 20 days, the four-year-old ailing hippopotamus at Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata has finally come out of the moat of the enclosure, bringing relief for the zoo authorities.
Sources indicate that the hippopotamus, which has been suffering from a neurological disorder, voluntarily climbed onto the edge of the moat on Sunday but soon returned to the water due to weakness in its legs.
According to zoo sources, the hippo had been responding positively to antibiotics and other medications aimed at stimulating its nerves. It has been receiving UV and infrared ray therapy, along with vitamin B1, B6, and B12 supplements, as directed by a special medical board formed to help restore the strength of the hippopotamus’s legs.
Zoo vets said that the infrared ray therapy has shown positive results and will continue for another week. They said they are optimistic that if the therapy continues for a few more days, the animal will be able to regain the strength in its legs and walk normally.
Sources further noted that a swelling had developed in the front leg, likely due to an injury sustained while walking on a concrete path, which has led to a bacterial infection.
Although hippopotamuses primarily live in water, they occasionally come onto land to feed and return to their night shelter at dusk.
As the zoo authorities were unable to lift the animal out of the moat for treatment, veterinarians started treatment by giving food mixed with medicine at the edge of the water body. However, this method was ineffective, as the animal was too weak to climb onto the bank.
The hippo’s continued confinement in water led to a deterioration in its physical condition. Consequently, zoo management assembled a medical team, including a doctor from Nandankanan Zoo and veterinarians from other zoos with expertise in caring for hippopotamuses, to provide specialized guidance for its treatment.
This hippopotamus was brought to Alipore Zoo from Nandankanan Zoo. Currently, Alipore Zoo houses two hippopotamuses, one of which is an elderly female.
In 2024, a 35-year-old female hippo died during a dental surgery after its lower jaw canines overgrew, piercing the skin near its nose and creating deep wounds, according to sources. The animal was unable to move its teeth, and blood would flow when it opened its mouth, with the wounds turning malignant.
One month after her death, a male and a female hippopotamus were brought from Nandankanan Zoo for breeding. However, within a few days of their arrival at Alipore Zoo, the female hippo died. The cause of the animal’s death remains unclear.
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