NAGPUR: Three tigers and a sub-adult leopard died after contracting highly pathogenic avian flu H5N1 virus at Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur. This is the first instance when the virus has taken such a substantial wildlife toll, particularly in captivity, in the country. A red alert has been sounded across Maharashtra’s zoos, rescue and transit centres.
The animals died last week and their samples were sent to ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, which confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus, Gorewada project divisional manager SS Bhagwat told TOI.
Bhagwat said these animals were shifted to the centre from Chandrapur after human-wildlife conflict instances in Dec. They started showing symptoms of avian flu virus within a week.
Containment protocols were implemented and enclosures housing the big cats were disinfected and treated with fire blowers. An additional 26 leopards and 12 tigers have been examined and declared healthy, Bhagwat said. “It remains a closed-for-visitors facility. Employees and caretakers have undergone screening and there is no cause for concern. Animal keepers are using PPE kits,” he added.
Instances of cross-infection of zoonotic disease among humans remain infrequent. Avian influenza primarily affects birds, but certain strains – H5N1 and H5N8 – have demonstrated the capability to infect mammals, including large cats (tigers, leopards) and others through contact with infected birds or their contaminated environment, Wildlife Research and Training Centre, Gorewada, stated. “Avian influenza outbreaks in wild carnivores have been linked to consumption of infected prey or raw meat,” it stated.
Centre’s department of animal husbandry and dairying has instructed Maharashtra chief secretary to implement biosecurity measures to prevent further transmission of the disease.
