Sloth bear dies in Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

Thiruvananthapuram: Ravi, a 30-year-old sloth bear died at the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo due to hepatic cancer. For the last two weeks the sloth bear was not consuming food and was very weak. The liver of the sloth bear will be exhibited at the new museum coming up at Disease Investigation Office at Palode on October 19.

Ravi was brought from Mysore Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the country, during November 92 as a five-year-old along with his partner, Seetha. 

Usually, the lifespan of sloth bears in captivity is 25 years and above which it can go up to 40 years. Even though the sloth bear pair had three babies, they could not survive for more than three days. 

According to senior veterinary surgeon Dr Jacob Alexander, Ravi was not keeping good health over five years forcing them to shift the sloth bear to the veterinary hospital attached to the city zoo.

“Ravi had respiratory issues and the ultrasound revealed that there were nodules which gave us the impression that he had TB. However, the test results were negative then. A post-mortem examination by Dr Swapna Susan Abraham at the Chief Disease Investigation Office at Palode revealed that Ravi’s liver was badly affected with cancer,” said Dr Jacob Alexander to this newspaper.