Odisha jumbo deaths cause for worry

An outbreak of haemorrhagic septicaemia in Odisha’s Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is reason for serious concern. Caused by the bacteria Pasteurella multocida, the disease has claimed the lives of seven elephants and two cattle over a span of a fortnight in February. According to a preliminary study conducted by a team of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the source of the infection could be a herd of cattle in a village inside the sanctuary. The infection could have been passed on to the elephants through contamination of water and soil. The carcasses of all seven elephants were found near the Ghusurigudi Nullah. Pasteurella multocida strikes an animal’s respiratory tract and lungs, leading to severe pneumonia. Death often comes swiftly: elephants can die within a few hours of contracting the infection. Being a highly contagious disease, an entire herd of elephants could get infected, even be wiped out, in 10-15 days. Hence, swift action to curb the spread of the disease is vital. Health authorities have warned that humans can contract the infection, too, through contact with infected animals, contaminated clothing, equipment, and through ingestion or inhalation of the bacteria. Health authorities must spread awareness about the disease among villagers in hamlets in the affected area.

The Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is home to some 22 elephants, and the seven elephants that died belonged to a herd of nine. Efforts are on to prevent elephants from straying into areas where infections are high, and cattle in hamlets in the sanctuary and surrounding areas are being vaccinated against the disease. Water bodies are also being disinfected to prevent contamination. While these steps are welcome, could they have been set in motion earlier to prevent the mass death of elephants? Better monitoring of livestock and wildlife could have prevented these deaths. Experts have blamed the elephant deaths on a failure of the government machinery. Monitoring of the animals was not being done, they say, and it was only after several elephants died that forest officials slowly stirred to action.

It is important that the Odisha government fixes accountability for the death of the elephants. So far, the only action taken has been against a low-ranking livestock inspector. Forest officers and veterinary officials who should have been monitoring the animals have not been held accountable for their dereliction of duty. In January last year, 40 buffaloes had died of haemorrhagic septicaemia in Odisha’s Kendrapara. Then, too, officials were found to have neglected to monitor the health of livestock. Had stern action been taken against them, perhaps the mass death of elephants at Karlapat could have been prevented.