Female dhole, 9, dies at Delhi zoo; autopsy ordered

A female dhole at the National Zoological Park — informally known as the Delhi zoo — died on Wednesday, officials said, adding to the growing list of animal deaths at the zoo over the past few months.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NEW DELHI: Officials said the cause of the latest death is still unknown, with a post-mortem to be conducted soon.

The dhole, also known as wild dog, is a canid that is native to southeast Asia. While they live to an average age of 10–13 years in the wild, they can live for up to 16 years in captivity.

Officials said the animal that died on Wednesday, named Macchali, was nine years old, and was brought to the Capital from the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam in 2019 as part of an animal exchange programme.