Female elephant dies of anthrax in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The elephant, found dead in a reserve forest near the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History at Anaikatti here on Monday, had died of anthrax, a forest department official said.
Frontline staff of the Coimbatore forest range, who were on patrol, had found the carcass of the female elephant aged between 12 and 15 years. Veterinary doctors from Anaikatti and Veerapandi collected samples for testing.
“Blood was oozing from the anus and the mouth of the elephant, an indication of anthrax infection,” said forest veterinary officer A Sukumar. “Postmortem will be carried out at after getting the results of blood smear samples from laboratory,” he said.
“The blood was tested positive for anthrax on Monday night. If veterinary officers carry out an autopsy, there is a chance of it spreading to other wild animals. So, the carcass will be cremated inside the reserve forest on Tuesday,” said a senior official.
Four elephants have died due to anthrax in the last 10 years in Coimbatore, sources said.
To prevent the spread of anthrax, the department has urged the animal husbandry department to vaccinate cattle in the villages on the forest fringes of Anaikatti and surrounding areas. The animal disease intelligence unit attached to the animal husbandry department is monitoring the development.TNN