Cattle in villages bordering forest to be vaccinated for anthrax after jumbo’s death

Officials of the Forest Department have also advised the Animal Husbandry Department to vaccinate the cattle in border villages to avert the spread of the disease to human settlements. The lab results of the female elephant confirmed its death to be caused by Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax.Therefore, the Forest Department has decided to carry out a screening exercise to check if any wild animal is sick with symptoms of anthrax.

The carcass of the dead elephant was burnt on Tuesday, without performing a post mortem to prevent the spread of the infection. The Forest Department has also decided to sanitise the forests for a few kilometers from where the wild elephant was spotted dead. In a further precautionary step, special camps are to be organised by the Animal Husbandry Department to vaccinate cattle in the border villages in Anaikatti area.

“There may be no chance for anthrax among cattle in villages as the infected elephant was in the wild. Three special teams comprising veterinarians and stock inspectors will commence the vaccination drive for cattle from Wednesday. The entire cattle population up to a range of eight kilometers from Anaikatti will be inoculated as a safety measure,” said R Perumalsamy Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry. Forest Department has also alerted their counterparts in neighbouring Kerala.