GUWAHATI: The authorities of Assam’s wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and reserve forests are on guard as deaths of pigs galore due to an outbreak of African swine fever. The disease, which Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Minister Atul Bora believed travelled from China to Assam via Arunachal Pradesh, has so far killed over 2,200 domestic pigs in eight districts.
The “pandemic” forced the government to issue an advisory to the wildlife division asking it to take all pre-emptive measures. Dr. Pulin Chandra Das, Director of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, said the deaths were confirmed cases of African swine fever. Earlier, samples were sent to a lab in Bhopal. The reports confirmed the deaths were caused by the African swine fever.
“As far as we know, China dumped the carcasses of pigs in the river. They first came floating into Arunachal and then into Assam,” Das told this newspaper. Earlier, seven pig carcasses were retrieved from the Kaziranga National Park and disposed of.