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September 25, 2026

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What happens after an animal dies at the Singapore Zoo? Meet the vet who investigates every death

Dr Hsu Chia-Da is the only pathologist at Mandai Wildlife Group. CNA follows him inside the post-mortem room to see how clues uncovered after death can help zookeepers and veterinarians improve animal care.

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Charlotte Lim

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SINGAPORE: Two yellow-spotted river turtles were found dead in the same week at the Singapore Zoo about a month ago.

For Dr Hsu Chia-Da, the timing immediately raised a troubling possibility: Could there be a disease outbreak?

“When two animals die back-to-back, (we) always think maybe there’s a disease outbreak,” said the senior veterinary pathologist at Mandai Wildlife Group.

“But sometimes, it just happens.”

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Finding out which was the case fell to the 43-year-old.

For one of the turtles, determining what had killed it was complicated by the condition in which it had been found – it had been in water overnight before its carcass was discovered. In Singapore’s heat, decomposition can happen quickly.

“The longer the carcass is outside, the more … bacteria starts to grow, and we cannot find out the (cause that) killed the animal,” Dr Hsu said.

“The main issue in Southeast Asia is that the temperature is always hot, so they decompose much faster.”

After examining the turtles, Dr Hsu could rule out some possibilities but could not give a definitive answer.

“There’re no obvious signs of trauma and infection,” he said, adding that however, he could not conclusively rule out potential infection.

As a precaution, he suggested keepers closely monitor the enclosure for a period of time and bring in any animal showing symptoms of illness, such as a loss of appetite.

EVERY DEATH COMES TO HIM

For the past decade, Dr Hsu has been searching for answers in what animals leave behind, examining their bodies for clues that can help veterinarians and keepers provide better care.

Unlike clinical veterinarians, who diagnose and treat living animals, his work only begins after death.

Dr Hsu speaks to CNA during an interview at his office. He says he does not become emotionally attached to the animals he examines, and concentrates on staying objective and finding answers instead. (Image: CNA)

Every animal that dies at the zoo eventually comes to him – from its largest denizens like Nile hippopotamuses to tiny ones including butterflies, stick insects and Madagascar cockroaches.

Each carcass is labelled with information including its species, origin and date of death.

Dr Hsu assigns each case a number and photographs the carcass at every stage for documentation.

He starts his examination on the outside, searching for any unusual signs.

“Sometimes, it’s very obvious, like trauma – they have bleeding somewhere or bite wounds on the body,” he said. “But most times, we have to open them.”

CLUES BENEATH THE SURFACE

The colour and condition of organs can offer clues, while tissue samples can be processed in the laboratory and examined under a microscope to reveal changes invisible to the naked eye.

For living animals, however, detecting such problems can be much harder, even with sophisticated diagnostic tools.

“You can use an X-ray to see fractures (when) we suspect there may be trauma. But internal bleeding, unless you use a scope to see … it’s very difficult to say,” he explained.

That difficulty is magnified in species with very different anatomies from humans.

“(For example) snakes – they are so long, where are you going to check?” Dr Hsu asked.

A recent case involving a rescued python showed just how difficult this can be.

The snake had been bleeding from its mouth for days. Veterinarians suspected internal bleeding, though its extent and cause could not be determined.

Despite treatment, the rescued python’s condition deteriorated, and a decision was made to euthanise the reptile.

The python was found in the wild. Besides animals from the zoo, Dr Hsu also handles wildlife brought in by animal rescue organisations and other parks.

During the post-mortem examination, the pathologist first looked for external signs of trauma, such as injuries that might indicate the snake had been struck or run over.

Its exterior appeared smooth, with no lacerations or puncture wounds.

Inside, however, was a very different picture.

Dr Hsu found extensive haemorrhaging around the snake’s stomach, heart and lungs. Its liver had turned a pale grey.

“The liver is … supposed to be red in colour. (But) there’s not enough blood, that’s why it became so pale, so greyish. It means the haemorrhage is really, really severe. So severe (it) changed the colour of the organ,” he said.

Dr Hsu examines a python during a post-mortem examination.

His findings pointed to an impact to the snake’s stomach area that had caused severe internal bleeding.

The post-mortem findings also helped confirm what the veterinarians had suspected. Dr Hsu said this could help them become more confident when diagnosing and treating cases in future.

“We don’t know what happened, but we try our best to find out. This can help the vets. The next time they see similar things, they know what to look for,” he said.

WHEN ONE DEATH HELPS OTHERS

Sometimes, what Dr Hsu finds in one animal can lead to changes affecting an entire enclosure.

In a separate turtle case, he noticed that the animal’s liver did not look healthy. Under the microscope, the reason became apparent.

“(Its) liver cells are all filled up by fat. This is a typical fatty liver case,” he said.

The discovery helped inform changes in how the turtles were cared for. Their diet was adjusted to include more fibre, while additional feeding stations encouraged them to move around more.

“It’s a progressive thing. Now, we don’t see this kind of issue anymore,” Dr Hsu said.

Such findings can also reveal patterns across species. Certain animals may be more susceptible to particular conditions, he said.

Dr Hsu Chia-Da works at his microscope in his office, where he examines tissue samples for changes that may not be visible to the naked eye. (Image: CNA)

Cats, for example, can be prone to kidney problems, while young turtles may develop metabolic bone disease if they do not receive enough calcium.

The information gathered by him is shared beyond Mandai with the global zoo community, allowing knowledge from one animal to potentially benefit others elsewhere.

For critically endangered species, that information can be especially valuable. Death, while a loss to an already small population, can provide specialists with a rare opportunity to collect information that might otherwise be impossible to obtain.

Some animals also continue contributing to science after Dr Hsu’s examination.

Specimens or samples may be preserved for scientific or museum purposes, particularly in the case of rarer wildlife.

THE LAST VET TO SEE EACH ANIMAL

Originally from Taiwan, Dr Hsu has spent the past decade honing his profession in Singapore.

His interest in pathology began at veterinary school, when he discovered an aptitude for recognising patterns. But patterns do not make the work predictable.

“Every single case is different from the previous one. Even among the same species in the same environment, two animals die differently, they give you different results. You have to find out. It’s a puzzle, and I like to solve puzzles” he said.

Dr Hsu visits the Singapore Zoo’s Tortoise Shell-ter, a sanctuary for tortoises and other reptiles. (Image: CNA)

The nature of the job means he spends his working days surrounded by death.

But Dr Hsu says he does not become emotionally attached to the animals he examines, allowing him to concentrate on finding answers.

“I don’t get emotional attachment … so I can focus on the situation. (Then) I won’t feel so sad while doing post mortem,” he said.

“I’m the last person looking at the animal. I have to be objective.”

For the people who cared for the animals, those answers matter deeply, said Dr Hsu.

Keepers who spend every day with their animals want to understand why they died, while veterinarians who treated them want to know whether their diagnoses were correct, and what they might do differently the next time they encounter a similar case.

“We collect data, and the animal care team … can use the information to enhance animal welfare in their day-to-day work,” Dr Hsu said.

For Dr Hsu, that is what makes each new case worth solving – it may be too late for the animal on his examination table, but what he learns from its death could help many others.