More and more domestic and wild elephants are contracting TB due to lack of proper diet and over exertion, officials said. [break]
Chief Warden of CNP Narendra Man Babu Pradhan said, "The cause of TB is less intake of diet in comparison to workload. It is just like in humans. It is infectious and can easily spread from humans to the animals and vise versa."
Pradhan said the TB detecting kits imported from the US has made it easier to detect TB in elephants.
"One reason behind spread of TB among elephants is also low immunity," said Dr Sarad Paudel, a graduate of Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science who is working in the field since 2007.
The Elephant Care International, a US-based NGO, launched Nepal Elephant Healthcare and TB Surveillance Program in 2007 jointly with WWF- Nepal and Nepali veterinarians.
Of 230 elephants identified in Nepal, 190 were short-listed for tests. Of them, 133 were tested for TB and 29 of them confirmed positive. But only 22 elephants have been treated or are being treated.
The program has so far identified 230 domestic elephants all over Nepal. Of the 190 short-listed ones, 133 were tested for TB and 29 of them confirmed positive. But only 22 elephants have been treated or are being treated.
"So far 22 elephants in Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta have been treated for TB. We will soon launch this program in Koshi and Parsa," Dr Paudel said.
Paudel claimed that 19 elephants treated in Chitwan have reported progress with considerable weight gain. "Most elephants have been detected with latent form of TB, which is mild and is thus curable," Paudel said.
Of the 190 elephants tested, 160 were from Chitwan. The program also aims to test the mahouts and others who come in direct contact with the elephants.
Meanwhile, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) is organizing a two-day meeting of all Elephant Range Countries (ERCs) from May 20-21 to share Nepal´s experience on elephant TB.
"A meeting of all parties concerned will be organized to highlight the problem of TB among elephants in Asia and to seek joint action in this area," Gopal Upadhyaya, the director general of DNPWC, said.
Nepal is taken as a model country in the fight against elephant TB. The ERCs include Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Vietnam.
The meeting is supported by WWF-Nepal and National Trust for Nature Conservation.
One-fourth of the estimated 60,000 Asian elephants remaining on earth are captive. Most of the captive elephants live in Asia where they are used for work, ceremonies, and eco-tourism and they have not been systematically evaluated for TB.
Due to close proximity to humans, high prevalence of TB among humans in range countries makes TB a serious threat to this endangered species. Since 1994, 12 percent of Asian elephants have been diagnosed with TB in the US.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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