Even as the carcass of a 20-year-old male elephant that died of anthrax at Neerodai near Hasanur in the Sathyamangalam forest has been safely disposed, the Animal Husbandry Department is vaccinating cattle in the eight km radius as a precaution.
Precaution
The elephant that had died two days ago was buried on Monday in a 15-feet pit and the surface was burnt as a precaution to prevent spread of the disease to other animals.
Alongside burning the surface of the spot of burial, a team also dug out half feet of the spot where the elephant was found dead, and sprinkled a mixture of turmeric and calcium, Hasanur Range Officer S. Palanisamy said.
Second incident
This is the second incident of elephant death due to anthrax. Last December, an adult elephant had died due to anthrax in Bhavani Sagar range.
Anthrax, explained Forest officials, is caused by exposure to spores of the bacteria Bacillus Anthracis that gets entrenched in host body and produce lethal poison. In the case of the elephant, the spores that had already been formed by the bacteria in a dormant phase had germinated and multiplied due to the heat condition.
Starting Tuesday, the Animal Husbandry Department started vaccinating cattle and livestock in villages in eight km. radius to prevent infection as spores could spread through the air.
“We have advised cattle-rearers in villages in the surroundings through the Village Forest Committees not to graze their animals for at least a month in the surroundings of the sterilised area.
Vaccination camps
Vaccination camps would be conducted at the villages by joint teams of Forest and Animal Husbandry department employees over the next three days,” District Forest Officer of Hasanur Division C.H. Padma said.
