Tusker dies of anthrax, forest officials on high alert in Erode

ERODE: The carcass of a 10-year-old tusker, which died of anthrax, was found at Dasansetty village at the Kadambur forest division near Sathyamangalam here on Wednesday.
While forest officials ruled out the possibility of an epidemic outbreak, they said vaccination drive would be carried out at all hamlets and villages surrounding Kadambur reserve forest.
It was the local residents of Dasansetty village, who first spotted the carcass of the elephant. When alerted, forest officials reached the spot and examined the carcass in detail. “Veterinary doctors found blood oozing out from the nose and mouth of the animal,” an official said.
Since the tusker died of anthrax, veterinary doctors have taken samples of vital organs such as liver, kidney, lungs for further examination.
“We have sent the samples to the state government’s diagnostic centre in Chennai for detailed report. The results will be available within a week. They will inform us through phone,” said a senior forest official.
After the postmortem, the carcass was burned inside the forest.
Foresters, meanwhile, said anthrax virus could generally be active for more than 30 years. “It can also survive in the soil for a long time. While we don’t see any chance of an epidemic outbreak following this incident, we will carry out a disinfectant drive across the forest,” an official said.
The forest department has also started a thorough screening of the reserve forest to find out whether any other animal has died of anthrax in the recent days. According to a forester, anthrax case was last reported in Erode district on May 27, 2015. “After that, there was no report of anthrax,” the official confirmed.