Bhubaneswar, Oct. 27: Heavy rainfall over the past five days has not only affected human life, but also animals in the Nandankanan zoo.

Many areas of the zoo, including a few enclosures, are waterlogged, creating difficulties for both the inmates and the visitors. The rising water level in Kanjia Lake has been a major concern for the zoo authorities.

The zoo authorities have initiated special measures to ensure that the animals are not affected by the rainfall.

Officials in the zoo said floodwater had inundated four tiger enclosures, apart from the enclosures of nilgai, spotted deer, emu and cassowary and a few herbivore animals. The authorities have taken the help of pumps to drain out floodwater.

A team of doctors has checked the animals in every enclosure to take a stock of their health condition.

“Chances of parasitic and tick attack loom large in the wake of the cyclone. All the herbivores have been administered with a dose of antibiotics. The tigers have been also given multivitamins to increase their resistance power,” said a senior zoo official.

The post-flood measures initiated by the zoo authorities include cleaning of mud and disinfection of enclosure by using lime powder or Kohrsolin spray.

The animals’ feeding chambers would also be cleaned with Potassium permanganate lotion.

The main source of water supply — the Kanjia Lake — has been flooded with rainwater, raising the chances of diseases in animals as water is supplied from the lake to the enclosures. The authorities are ensuring that the water is chlorinated before supply to enclosures.

“The birds and herbivores are prone to a number of diseases after waterlogging. So, we are taking special care of those animals,” said an official.

Though Phailin had not affected the zoo inmates, the subsequent rainfall has led to severe waterlogging in many areas of the zoo. In the aftermath of 1999 supercyclone, as many as 12 tigers, including eight white tigers, had died of trypanosomiasis, a disease transmitted through flies.

“The health condition of all the animals are being closely monitored. So far, there have been no casualties. Bush cutting will shortly be started to ensure that ticks and parasites stay away from animals,” said another zoo official.