Coimbatore: A female elephant from Sembukarai forest in Anaikatti division had been found dead recently.
Coimbatore: A female elephant from Sembukarai forest in Anaikatti division had been found dead recently. Preliminary assessments by the forest division, however, revealed that the elephant was found oozing blood from anus and mouth, indicating the cause of death possibly being anthrax.
Anthrax is a highly infectious zoonotic disease, mostly found in herbivores which is caused by Bacillus anthracis, a rod-shaped spore-forming bacteria that can spread from animal to animal through contaminated soil and feed. Officials examined the dead elephant and confirmed the cause of death as anthrax.
However, anthrax cases ought to be burned and the place should be sanitized using a flame gun according to an activist who pointed out the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for elephant deaths caused by anthrax. Veterinarians examining the death of this elephant had noted that the carcass ought to be cremated today with the help of forest officials.
Officials from the Forest Department who witnessed the death of this 15-year old elephant in Anaikatti region along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala forest border pointed out that officials have been advised to vaccinate elephants and animals in the region to prevent such deaths.
On the other hand, the Forest Department veterinarian, Dr. Sugumar when contacted said that there was no need for the vaccination at present since there was no such outbreak witnessed in the nearby KMs. He said that only about four elephants had died due to anthrax in the last 10 years, in Coimbatore forest division.
Anthrax is a highly infectious zoonotic disease, mostly found in herbivores which is caused by Bacillus anthracis, a rod-shaped spore-forming bacteria that can spread from animal to animal through contaminated soil and feed. Officials examined the dead elephant and confirmed the cause of death as anthrax.
However, anthrax cases ought to be burned and the place should be sanitized using a flame gun according to an activist who pointed out the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for elephant deaths caused by anthrax. Veterinarians examining the death of this elephant had noted that the carcass ought to be cremated today with the help of forest officials.
Officials from the Forest Department who witnessed the death of this 15-year old elephant in Anaikatti region along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala forest border pointed out that officials have been advised to vaccinate elephants and animals in the region to prevent such deaths.
On the other hand, the Forest Department veterinarian, Dr. Sugumar when contacted said that there was no need for the vaccination at present since there was no such outbreak witnessed in the nearby KMs. He said that only about four elephants had died due to anthrax in the last 10 years, in Coimbatore forest division.