Pashudhan Praharee Network
8th May 2020.
All the big cats, who died, were from one small part of the park and may have got infected by consuming an animal, an official said.
An outbreak of Babesiosis caused by a protozoan parasite has reportedly caused the death of several lions in India’s only wild abode for Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir National Park, in the last three months, officials said on Thursday.
According to D T Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forest, Junagarh, one-third of the 23 lions have died in the eastern Gir forests in the past three months due to Babesiosis and efforts were on to contain the outbreak of the disease.
“Some animals have been lost because of the disease caused by blood protozoa called babesia, which spreads through tick infestation and mite bite, and is not contagious. It is completely treatable,” he said.
He added all the big cats, who died, were from one small part of the park and may have got infected by consuming an animal.
The other lions in the park died due to infighting, old age, drowning and snake bites. “We are conducting a thorough investigation and results will be submitted to the state government soon,” he said.
The Jasadhar Animal Treatment Centre is currently treating 18 lions infected by Babesiosis.
The officials said a combination of the viral and protozoan infections had killed around two dozen lions, after which Gujarat forest department imported canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccine from the US and vaccinated all lions in the Gir forest.
24 lions had died in the same range of Gir National Park in September 2018 due to a combination of Babesiosis disease and canine distemper virus (CDV).
An official said that babesia protozoa attacks the red blood cells in a lion’s body causing anaemia and makes it susceptible to other diseases like the CDV.
“We are de-worming livestock of cattle main diet of Asiatic lions in eastern part of Gir. We are disinfecting their enclosures where ticks and mites could be there. We are also burning grass and hay around water holes,” said a Gujarat government official.
The officer said antibiotics were being administered to the lions affected by babesiosis. “We have already managed to successfully treat six animals and there has not been any death due to the disease for almost a week now,” the officer said.
He further added that a multi-pronged strategy has been adopted to contain the disease.
Source-Hindustan Times.
