Tempest Tuesday killed one of the two male zebras at Tata zoo, the park authorities in Jamshedpur said on Thursday as they drew up hurried plans to prune trees both inside and outside animal enclosures before monsoon.

Investigations into the untimely death of the 18-month-old healthy African equid have revealed that branches ripped by gales winds and lightning, which preceded the Wednesday wee-hour Nor'wester, scared him so much so that he dashed against iron railings and sustained severe head injuries.

"It was raining and windy. The zebra was outside its cell and near a tree, which was uprooted around 10pm. The animal panicked and ran helter-skelter. He hit railings a few times, collapsed and writhed in pain. By the time the guards informed the zoo management and officials rushed to help, he was gone," said a zookeeper.

A post-mortem conducted on Wednesday by veterinary officers D.K. Chourasia and Debashis Deb from the state animal husbandry department, in the presence of Jamshedpur divisional forest officer Saba Alam Ansari, determined the cause of death as cardiac arrest triggered by cerebral haemorrhage.

Vets say both shock and injury by external agent (iron railings in this case) can cause internal haemorrhage in the brain. And, if the haemorrhage is close to the brain stem, which is the central trunk of the mammalian brain and continues downwards to form the spinal cord, a cardiac arrest is quite possible even if the animal has been heart-healthy all along.

Zoo director Bipul Chakravarty admitted that the zebra - brought from Ramat Gan Safari in Tel Aviv, Israel, last December along with another male and two females - died of a panic attack during the storm.

"It is a tragedy that we are yet to come to terms with. The zebra was healthy and in its prime. Storms cannot be controlled, but we have decided to trim down trees inside and outside all enclosures as a preventive measure. We have initiated talks with the forest department in this regard," Bipul Chakravarty said.

Tata zoo has some 50 enclosures hosting big cats, sloth bears, hyenas, spotted deer, nilgai, monkeys, crocodiles and birds.

"There are several trees in each of these enclosures. We will prune them and are also discussing other measures needed to prevent a rerun of the tragic incident," the director added.

Besides trimming tall trees, the zoo management is also planning to cut down old, dead or dying trees that surround the enclosures and are open invitation to mishaps. "Monsoon is round the corner and trees keep toppling during storms and heavy downpour. We need to act now," said a zoo functionary.

The four zebras, a gift from Ramat Gan Safari, had arrived in Jamshedpur on December 2, 2015. After the mandatory quarantine period, the striped dudes and dudettes were released into their enclosure for zoo visitors on February 24.

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