Kaziranga National Park (KNP) authorities have dug a six-foot deep and 2-km trench to prevent intermingling of wild boars with domesticated pigs in villages beyond as the African swine fever (ASF) killed more than 13,000 pigs by Sunday afternoon.
“The situation is grim with the porcine death toll due to ASF rising to 13,033. We have been monitoring the situation and meeting people not to let their pigs out for their own good,” Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Atul Bora said on Sunday.
He had visited the KNP on Saturday to oversee the trench-digging work at the Agoratoli Range of the park which abuts villages whose residents rear pigs.
Wild boars are known to mate with domesticated pigs, leading to genetic complications.
“The KNP authorities have completed the trench to ensure that the wild boars don’t come out and the domesticated pigs do not sneak into the forests,” Mr. Bora said.
Also read: Swine fever: Alert in Kaziranga National Park after recovery of 28 pig carcasses
Veterinary officials said AFS had spread to nine of Assam’s 33 districts although incidences of pig carcasses being dumped in rivers had come down drastically. Among the districts affected were Majuli, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s constituency, and Kamrup (Metropolitan) where Guwahati is situated.
30 lakh pigs
According to a 2019 census by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, the pig population in Assam was 21 lakh, which has now increased to around 30 lakh. More than 7 lakh people in the State are dependent on piggery that generates an annual business of at least ₹8,000 crore.
