BHUBANESWAR: In an attempt to curb the spread of herpes virus, authorities of Nandankanan Zoological Park on Monday wrote to Central Zoo Authority (CZA), requesting it to issue a protocol on the disease. The move comes after the near-fatal Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses (EEHV) claimed the lives of two mammals in three weeks.
“Elephant death due to herpesvirus had never been reported from Nandankanan earlier. If the CZA carries out any research and issues a protocol to be followed in such cases, it will help us as well as other zoological parks in the country,” said Sashi Paul, Director, of Nandankanan Zoological Park. No vaccine has been developed to contain the spread of the virus, the source of which has also remained unclear, he added.
Once the virus becomes active, it takes no time to multiply and damage the internal tissues, leading to death. This was the reason behind death of two pachyderms in the zoo on August 26 and September 15.
Though zoo authorities had sent the sample of the first elephant to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, they are yet to receive the report.
Zoo veterinarians, who had earlier sought the help of experts from Assam and city-based Centre for Wildlife Health for treatment of elephants, have now sought the help of experts from Kerala.
“The experts working with the wildlife wing of Kerala Government have expertise on herpes and anthrax virus. We are in touch with them and have requested them to visit Odisha at the earliest to effectively deal with the situation,” said Paul, adding blood samples of elephants in the zoo will be tested twice a week at the Centre for Wildlife Health and the practice will continue for at least four weeks.
The young elephants in the zoo, who are more susceptible to the virus, have been kept in isolation. Zoo authorities have started disinfecting the area and giving anti-viral doses to under-15 female elephants.