Kanha reserve: Viral outbreak suspected in deaths of tigress, cubs

THe dying of a tigress and her quaternity cubs within 10 years in Madhya Pradesh’s engorged Kanha panthera tigris Reserve, one of India’s most iconic tiger habitats, has led officials to suspect an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) .L Krishnamurthy, the state’s additional principal chief conservator of forest said: “The cause of death of the tigress and her cubs was respiratory disorder and gastrointestinal infection, but we cannot rule out CDV. Samples have been sent for confirmation, and preventive measures are underway.” Both are symptoms of CDV.Forest department officials said they have begun monitoring other tigers in the wild following the deaths.Kanha reserve field director Prakash Verma said samples of the tigress and cub that died Wednesday, while undergoing treatment, have been preserved for further examination and water samples are also being tested. Monitoring teams with elephants are now tracking tigers in the Sarhi area where all the deaths happened, he added.Kanha is home to about 140 tigers living in an area of 2,000 square kilometers and is among the most crowded feline habitats in the country. Madhya Pradesh had 785 tigers according to the 2022 All India Tiger Estimation, the highest for any state in India.Some experts are convinced it is CDVWildlife Conservation Trust director Anish Andheria urged a complete ban on the free movement of dogs near forest areas.“It is CDV for sure, and dogs are carriers of it, though they themselves are not affected. The virus can spread if dogs drink from the same water bodies used by wild animals or if they feed on herbivores or prey killed by tigers. The only option to save wildlife is eliminating dogs from forest areas,” he said.“Human-animal interaction has increased in recent months. Locals enter the forest with dogs for safety while collecting Mahua in March, Chironji in April, and Tendu leaves in May and June from the reserve. The possibility of tigers contracting CDV is very high,” a forest official in Kanha said, asking not to be named.Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said, “Losing five tigers, possibly due to CDV, is alarming. NTCA has clear instructions to vaccinate dogs, yet those roaming within 5 km of Kanha were not vaccinated. In 2015, Panna Tiger Reserve also reported tiger deaths due to CDV. Preventive action here was delayed as officials were busy translocating wild buffaloes from Assam.”Dubey demanded a fair probe and accountability from responsible officials.Since January, seven tigers — including two females — have died in Kanha Tiger Reserve. In January, a sub-adult tiger was found dead in Anjaniya beat of Mandla district, just 12 km from the reserve. On April 5, another female was found dead in Kanhari range. Officials had attributed these deaths to natural reasons or infighting.The crowding poses its own risks, although tigers are not as social as lions. In 2018, around 30 lions are believed to have died in Gir, Gujarat, on account of CDV, that likely jumped from dogs around the area.