Shivamogga: A 12-year-old female hippopotamus, ‘Hamsini’, died at the Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari in Shivamogga on Apr. 14 after suffering a severe uterine infection linked to intrauterine foetal death.
According to Zoo authorities, the animal died around 3.08 pm after days of declining health. Hamsini, which was suspected to be pregnant, had shown signs such as foetal movement, abdominal swelling and behavioural changes. Though the eight-month gestation period had ended by mid-March, she did not go into labour.
Zoo Director V.M. Amarakshar said in a press release that the animal had reduced food intake and turned lethargic in the days leading up to its death. On Apr. 10, a team of wildlife veterinarians from Mysuru Zoo conducted a detailed examination and collected blood and fluid samples.
Laboratory tests confirmed a severe uterine infection, which veterinarians said was likely caused by intrauterine foetal death. The infection had also affected the functioning of vital organs, and the animal’s condition was described as “guarded to poor”.
Despite continued treatment by wildlife veterinarians, assisted by a consulting obstetrician-gynaecologist, Hamsini did not respond and died on Tuesday.
This was the hippopotamus’s third pregnancy. A calf born in 2024 had drowned, while another delivered in 2025 died after being attacked by its father shortly after birth.
Hamsini was also the same animal involved in the fatal attack on Veterinary apprentice Sameeksha Reddy on Mar. 19. Reddy, a native of Bengaluru, had entered the enclosure to record the animal’s body temperature using a thermal camera. She succumbed to her injuries the following day at a private hospital in Shivamogga.
