No horses, mules and donkeys would be allowed to enter or exit Delhi as the entire city is set to be declared a controlled area for a period of three months, after 32 equines were found positive for an infectious and fatal disease, glanders.
Though their movement would be restricted, the horses of the defence forces would be able to take part in the Republic Day Parade as scheduled as none of them have been found positive for the disease so far.
Development Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday that a notification declaring Delhi a controlled area for glanders would be issued over the weekend.
After eight horses were found positive for the disease in West Delhi, the district was declared a controlled area on December 21 for a period of three months.
Then, Mr. Rai said, the Animal Husbandry unit of the Development Department took samples from 2,000 equines and sent them to the National Research Centre on Equines in Hisar, Haryana.
“Results of 1,000 of those samples are back and 32 equines have been found positive for glanders. We will be declaring Delhi a controlled area as well as the 11 areas where these cases were found would be declared controlled zones,” said Mr. Rai.
In addition, the Army sent samples of about 600 of its horses to its own facility in Meerut and the Delhi Police had 31 of its horses tested as well. The Delhi Race Club had all 424 horses tested. None of these horses were found positive, according to the Animal Husbandry unit.
‘Working isolation’
Along with the notification, the government would be issuing guidelines covering the movement of horses and precautionary steps to be taken.
According to the draft guidelines, the horses of the services would have to be certified fit and then be kept in “working isolation” or in groups with animals of similar immune status. All equines would have to be under the constant surveillance of veterinary officials. In addition, no “civilian horses” would be allowed to enter the New Delhi Municipal Council’s area. After the January 26 parade, all services horses would be tested again for glanders.
Mr. Rai said that 11 rapid response teams had been set up to carry out testing and restriction on movement, with the help of the municipal corporations and the Police.
The first eight cases of the disease were reported from rescue horses at the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre in West Delhi district. The horses have since been put down. Ambika Shukla, director of the Centre, said, “I’m glad that precautions are being taken to contain it [glanders]”.
