Shivamogga, 14 April

The 12-year-old female hippopotamus- Hamsini- into her third pregnancy at the Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari in Shivamogga zoo on Tuesday, died of ‘severe infection’ as a result of intrauterine foetal death.

The hippopotamus had recently made headlines after it attacked a trainee veterinarian, Sameeksha Reddy, at the zoo after she entered the animal’s enclosure on 19 March 2026, to register its body temperature. The vet had later died at a private hospital during the treatment.

Informing about the female hippopotamus’s death, Executive Director of the Safari VM Amarakshara said that she was eight months into her pregnancy and no longer taking food. A blood and fluid samples test in the lab showed the female hippopotamus suffered from severe infection due to intrauterine foetal death. The infection was at a critical stage as it had spread to other parts of the animal’s body, he said.

Hamsini had earlier delivered a calf in 2024, which, however, drowned in 2025. She gave birth to another calf in 2025, which also later died after being attacked by its father.

Hamsini was under the care of wildlife veterinarians deputed by the Karnataka Zoo Authority and a consulting obstetrician-gynaecologist veterinarian hired for the purpose of treating her.

The hippopotamus’s death has also come amid reports of the absence of a dedicated permanent wildlife veterinarian at the zoo, which is home to about 300 animals. It has also brought to light the issue of the safety of the staff engaged in taking care of the animals at the zoo.