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“It is challenging but it drains one mentally,” these are the tired but determined words of Dr. Alaxander Jacob, the newly appointed vet in charge of the Trivandrum City Zoo. Breaking even the protocol of the Central Zoo Authority’s listed diseases that a zoo needs to keep a watch with preventive measures, Canine Distemper Virus made its fateful entry into the zoo premises, causing panic, not among the animals but among those in charge of the zoo especially the newly appointed zoo doctor. “I have been sleeping in the hospital itself for the last 3-4 days for the sake of the hyenas. We tried all that we could to save them. Instruments were brought in. Endoscopy was done. The hyena called Rahul was even getting better. But he suffered from fits and we lost him. They were such beautiful animals.” Anyone can see the pain on the vets’s face as he talks about the hyenas of which two showed obvious signs of distemper though one was already ailing from Megaesophagus or enlargement of the esophagus. Now the Zoo does not possess hyenas. But they can be procured.
Image Courtesy: flickriver.com
It was the very common but fatal Canine Distemper virus, the least expected virus to be found in a zoo though there was always the possibility that lead to the death of the hyenas. But the very first victims of this air born, systemic and highly contagious disease were the jackals among which, the last four had to be euthanised as there was no option left to prevent the spread of distemper to other susceptible animals. The very interesting fact here is that this is the very first time in the history of Indian zoos that there has been an outbreak of Canine Distemper. Now this does not mean that this virus had not affected any zoo in our country before. It must have; but the possibility is that it was never suspected, detected or diagnosed. Often, zoo animals die of ‘unknown reasons’. Though autopsies are a normal procedure, only special tests like ‘Elisa’ would reveal the presence of this fatal virus. |
Here in our zoo, the vet Dr. Alaxander Jacob took that valuable extra
step which exposed the virus right on time, but so far it has taken a
toll on two susceptible species, jackals and hyenas. Though it is an
irretrievable loss, the timely preventive sanitation measures done on a
war footing under the supervision of the zoo vet has so far contained
the virus from spreading any further. “A wide research has to be taken
up on this issue. So that it can be understood better. Now we are
desperately trying to procure Purevax Ferret Distemper Vaccine from
Merial.Inc. in Singapore. But Special Import License has to be obtained.
I heard that it can take years to get the license. I hope it is wrong.
For us the need is imminent. Once we receive the vaccine and after
trying and testing it and if the outcome is positive, then the other
zoos around the country can follow suit”.
Image Courtesy: wildanimalsonline.com
The vet strongly affirms that a Zero Prevalence study, where timely blood sample tests for anti-bodies in zoo animals to prevent any kind of virus outbreak should become the protocol in all the Zoos. “We just cannot go out there and declare that all the zoos in India must immediately take measures against distemper or administer the vaccine. Once it is properly carried out here, maybe we can convince others through seminars and talks about the whole episode and awaken the others.” It seems that the distemper virus has affected more that 90% of susceptible wild life. In our zoo, the lions, tigers, jaguars, bears and the monkeys are the remaining susceptible animals and so far all are safe. Distemper does not spread from animals to humans but we can surely be the carriers. Therefore strict orders were implemented so that keepers remain alert about this. As the bottom line, the sleepless nights of one man has helped our zoo contain a deadly virus. But been air borne, it still poses a threat. And it would not be too much to say that the zoo fraternity as a whole is waiting to see how the curtain is going to come down on this. Let’s hope and pray that the most needed preventive distemper vaccine does not get unnecessarily delayed. The vaccine is the need of the hour. |
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