A one-horned rhino of the Assam State Zoo died of suspected anthrax early in the morning on Tuesday.

The pachyderm’s sudden death sent the alarm bells ringing and the government of Assam immediately initiated a massive vaccination programme covering vulnerable animals in and around the zoo in Guwahati.

The anthrax scare hit the northeastern city at a time when several districts of neighbouring West Bengal are reeling under an avian influenza outbreak.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and in-charge of the Guwahati Zoo, Narayan Mahanta, said that ‘Jon’ — the 30-year-old male rhino — was “absolutely fine” till Monday. “It started behaving abnormally early this morning. It was running around restlessly within its enclosure, with blood oozing out of its mouth and anus. It collapsed and died around 5:30 am,” said Mr Mahanta.

The blood samples of the dead rhino were sent to the city’s College of Veterinary Sciences for micro-biological tests.

The DFO said preliminary investigations by the veterinarians hinted that the rhino might have died of anthrax. But it would take 72 hours to complete the required lab tests to confirm the cause of death, he added.
State forest minister Rockybul Hussain visited the zoo and instructed the officials to ascertain if the rhino had really died of anthrax. “If it is really a case of anthrax, we will take all steps to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.

Jon was brought to the zoo from the wilds of Pabitora on the outskirts of Guwahati in 1980.

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by a spore-forming bacterium called Bacillus anthracis.

There are five more rhinos — three males and two females — in the zoo and they all have been quarantined for anti-anthrax vaccination. The forest officials said that other vulnerable inmates of the zoo might also be vaccinated.

“We have advised the city authorities to vaccinate the cattle and other domesticated mammals within a radius of two kilometres around the zoo,” said DFO Mr Mahanta.