Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among cattle has been reported in a few villages around Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris.
Veterinary department officials said three days ago a villager from Mavanallah near Mudumalai called up a local veterinarian and informed that his cattle had been affected by FMD. He sought the veterinarian’s help.
The veterinarian received similar complaints from Bokkapuram, Chemmanatham, Masinagudi, Moyar and Vazhaithottam, located around the Tiger Reserve, the sources said.
However, no casualty of cattle has been reported from these areas so far.
Naturalists pointed out that villagers living close to the forest areas in the State took their cattle for grazing in the forest areas.
When the FMD-affected cattle entered a reserve forest, chances of the disease spreading among wildlife such as Indian Bison, Elephants, Spotted deer and Sambar were very high, they cautioned.
However, forest officials in Mudumalai said they had not received any information about the spread of FMD among the cattle in and around the reserve.
