blackquarter disease hits elephant in indian zoo

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Experts home in on calf death

- Baby elephant died of blackquarter, a disease common

among cattle

 

roopak goswami

 

guwahati, Oct. 14: Blackquarter, a disease common

among cattle, is suspected to have caused the death of

an year-old elephant calf at the Assam State Zoo,

according to preliminary tests conducted by the

College of Veterinary Diseases.

 

This is the first case of blackquarter among elephants

in the country. Only one elephant had died of the

disease, outside India, in 1971.

 

Devi, the baby elephant, died suddenly on October 8 at

the zoo, after suffering from dysentery the day

before. Devi was rescued from Deepor Beel last year

when she was only 14 days old and was later brought to

the zoo.

 

Professor of pathology at the College of Veterinary

Sciences Apurba Chakravarty said, “Preliminary

diagnosis shows that the elephant had contracted the

blackquarter disease. A few other tests have to be

done to get it fully confirmed.” These tests will take

another couple of days.

 

Authorities at the zoo, after having been informed of

the preliminary results, have started vaccinating

elephants for blackquarter. “The herbivores, too,

would be vaccinated soon,” divisional forest officer

of the zoo, Narayan Mahanta, said.

 

The health advisory committee in the zoo, which has

been constituted by the state government, has been

informed of the matter. “Every possible step will be

taken to stop the spread of the disease,” Mahanta

said. He said no symptomatic disorder was witnessed in

this case.

 

Chakravarty said it is a soil-borne disease and is

caused by micro-organisms. “It might have come here

from other sources like contaminated grass,” he added.

The symptoms include swelling of the legs, which leads

to lameness. The disease can be prevented only through

vaccination.

 

The forest officer said the disease does not usually

turn into an epidemic but preventive measures should

be taken to stop its spread. Cattle in Assam are

regularly vaccinated, as the disease is quite common

among them.

 

Altogether 43 animals had died last year in the Assam

State Zoo, which included 33 mammals, eight birds and

two reptiles. Deaths due to senility accounted for 0.8

per cent, diseases, five per cent, infighting, 3.1 per

cent and accidents 0.2 per cent.

 

The zoo, spread over an area of 175 hectares, has 89

species with 533 animals and several endangered

species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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