Tuberculosis hits Jhargram Deer Park

14 September 2011

biswabrata goswami
JHARGRAM, 14 SEPT: Two spotted deer, one monkey and a camel died of infectious tuberculosis at Jhargram Deer Park in West Midnapore in the past two days.
A culture of the lung tissue of the dead animals revealed tuberculosis bacilli,  typed as M. Tuberculosis on the basis of standard bio-chemical tests, a forest officer said. Though the source of infection was not yet established, deer park employees suspect migratory birds which can spread the disease among the animals. And so the forest officials are worried about the spread of the disease among other animals.
Mr Partha Pratim Tripathi, a forest ranger in Jhargram said, “We have sent a detailed report to the state forest department and urged the officials to send a proper guideline to save other animals which are in captive in the park”.
Mr Tripathi also said the post-mortem reports of the two dead deer and a monkey revealed the Tuberculosis infection while the post-mortem report of the dead camel has not reached till today. According to the park employees, when they went into the monkey’s cage to clean it at 10.30 am on Monday, they found it unconscious and reported the matter to the forest ranger. They took the monkey in the treatment cage and administered some emergency drugs but it did not respond to the treatment and died in an hour at around 11.45 am.
Two deer were similarly found dead at two different places inside the park premises on Monday. Yesterday, the only camel which was kept in the park was found unconscious when they went to feed her. Later, the camel died.
“The apparent clinical signs were emaciation, sunken eyes and a prominent spinal cord. Medical treatment was given to the monkey which fell ill about a month ago. But the two deer which found dead could not be detected ill”, said a deer-park employee.
Alleging negligence, the wildlife activists have demanded a probe into the deaths of the animals. They blamed the deer-park officers for the deaths, saying that the park authorities have no knowledge of treating wild animals. Mr Subrata Purohit, a wildlife activist, said the animals died due lack of treatment. “We will take up the matter with the chief wildlife warden,” he said.
A section of conservationists feel that with lack of proper treatment facilities and space, the fate of other animal in this deer park hangs in balance. At present, the deer park has over 100 spotted deer and three monkeys in captivity, a forest officer said.