The possible blanket ban on the movement of horses due to Glanders disease in the entire national Capital is feared to impact wedding ceremonies in the city in a big way.
One of its most glamorous features of the India wedding — the sight of the groom riding a caparison horse as part of barat procession — faces threat due to the spread of Glanders disease in horses. Moreover, the wedding band industry is facing a serious financial threat as bookings are getting cancelled. The marriage season begins on January 14 (Makar Sankranti).
In December last year, the Government already restricted the movement of equines in and out of west Delhi after eight horses at Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care (SGAC) in Raja Garden tested positive for the infectious disease.
So far, a total 40 horses have reportedly tested positive for Glanders disease, which can also be fatal for the animal. It can also be contracted by humans.
The Ministry of Agriculture has taken a decision to seek Home Ministry’s intervention to “notify” the disease, which will ban the movement of the animal in the notified areas. They cannot also travel across the Delhi border.
The decision was taken after an emergency meeting called by the Ministry of Agriculture on reports from the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) suggesting that 32 more horses had tested positive for Glanders disease in Hisar. Divisional Commissioner Manisha Saxena of the Delhi Government and senior officials of Animal Husbandry Department have attended the meeting.
As per reports, Glanders have been spread in Delhi’s South, South-West, North and North-West districts and there was an urgent need to notify it for the national capital.
After the meeting, the Delhi Government submitted a proposal to the Union Home Ministry asking that the disease be notified so as to ban the movement of horses. They also requested the Ministry to put in place surveillance to implement the ban. During the meeting, officials also informed that Army and Delhi Police horses have not tested for Glanders. It was also decided to keep an eye on other animals to ensure that they were not infested with Glanders.
The Agriculture Ministry has issued directions to the Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab to take precautionary measures. Officials said Delhi Government’s Animal Husbandry Department has collected 1,846 samples and sent them for testing to a Hisar-based laboratory. As 32 horses have tested positive for Glanders, their samples have been sent for further tests to the Hisar-based laboratory.
Reacting to the development on the wedding season, Deepak Kumar of Komal Band said horses are not available in Delhi. “The movement of horses has been banned by the Government for three months, but marriages are happening now. We are telling our customers that horses will be available only after March 2018. Cancellations are happening and it is pinching us,” Kumar said.
Many people use horses for their livelihood in Delhi. Horses are used for a light carriage or curricle drawn by two horses for transportation during marriage seasons. In Delhi, most of the horses are from marwari and Kathiawar breeds. Some of the horses are also being used by horse riding schools. As per the 2012 animal census, there are 2,694 horses in the national Capital.
Glanders is an infectious equine disease which causes suffering and inevitable death to equines, whilst threatening the livelihoods of the owners who depend on them. It is a zoonotic disease. Glanders is commonly contracted by consuming food or water contaminated by the nasal discharge of carrier animals.
After an incubation period of about two weeks, affected animals usually have blood infection and high fever. A thick nasal discharge is seen and the animal has trouble in breathing and other respiratory signs. Death occurs within a few days of infection. The disease is caused by the bacterium burkholderi amallei. The disease causes ulcers in the upper respiratory tract, lungs and skin of the animal.