Death of trainee vet in hippo attack; Probe to find who asked her to enter enclosure

Probe launched into trainee vet's death after hippo attack, raising safety concerns at Shivamogga zoo.

Trainee veterinary officer Dr. Sameeksha Reddy’s death in hippopotamus attack at Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari in Shivanogga has raised many questions about the safety of veterinarians engaged to treat wild animals. She joined the training on February 1.

The family members, who visited Shivamogga, questioned why the officers at the zoo allowed the trainee officer to the hippopotamus enclosure on Thursday (March 19, 2026) night in the absence of seniors.

Following the incident, Shivamogga Police have registered an unnatural death report. Ms. Reddy was to follow up treatment of sun conure, a South American bird. As part of the treatment schedule, she had to administer antibiotic to the bind twice a day with a gap of 12 hours.

According to Dr. Murali Manohar, veterinary officer of the zoo, Ms. Reddy was at the safari late at night on Thursday to administer antibiotic to the bird.

“She volunteered to treat the bird. She was not assigned to monitor health of hippopotamus”, he said.

The hippopotamus was eight-month pregnant and it had stopped taking food for last four-five days. “This was quite normal for hippopotamus. I had explained to the trainees about its nature. However, I had not asked her to treat the animal.