Anthrax Outbreak
in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh
New
Delhi, May 31, 2002: An anthrax
outbreak in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, in Hoshangabad
district, Madhya Pradesh, has lead to the deaths of
two gaurs (Indian Bison). Samples collected from the
livestock on the fringes of the sanctuary have shown
presence of the anthrax bacterium. The stage government
and the forest department of Madhya Pradesh have geared
up to take precautionary measures to control further
spread of the disease.
A team of veterinary doctors has been deputed by
the state government for mass inoculation of livestock
in the region.
When contacted by WTI, park deputy director, Mr.
Jagdish Chandra, said that park authorities were keeping
a close watch to ensure that the disease does not
spread to the wildlife in the area. He confirmed that
only two deaths of gaurs have been reported so far.
No other wildlife casualties have been reported, he
said.
Bori Wildlife Sanctuary was established in year 1977,
under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The area
of the sanctuary is 518sq.km(approx).
The fauna in the sanctuary includes carnivores like
the tiger, leopard and wild dog and ungulates including
the gaur.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by the spore–forming
Bacillus anthracis, a Gram positive, rod–shaped
bacterium anthrax is primarily a disease of herbivores.
However, reports of its occurrence in dogs scavenging
anthrax carcasses and in carnivorous animals in zoological
gardens and wildlife sanctuaries or parks are not
entirely uncommon, though outbreaks affecting large
numbers of carnivorous animals are very rare.
Anthrax is enzootic in southern India but is less
frequent to absent in the northern Indian states where
the soil is more acid, while in Nepal it is endemic.
The incubation period in the susceptible herbivore
ranges from about 36 to 72 hours and leads into the
hyperacute systemic phase, usually without easily
discernible prior symptoms. The first signs of an
anthrax outbreak are one or more sudden deaths in
the affected livestock. In highly susceptible species,
the period between onset of visible symptoms and death
may be just a few hours; the course of these events
is more protracted in more resistant species.
The history is of major importance in the diagnosis
of anthrax. Clinical manifestations to look for are:
