Tuberculosis suspected among spotted deer in IIT Madras
CHENNAI: In what could be a matter of serious concern, there may be a tuberculosis disease among the free-ranging spotted deer population inside IIT Madras. A few animals have reportedly fallen sick and died in the recent past. However, the numbers are not alarming, according to the Chennai wildlife officials who are closely monitoring the situation.
Chennai wildlife warden Manish Meena told TNIE, “As of now, it is only a suspicion. We have sent the carcass of a spotted deer to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) for analysis. After receiving the results, we will take necessary action.”
Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy is apprised of the issue and a strategy was being devised to deal with it, if the results come out positive. IIT Madras shares a boundary with Guindy National Park (GNP) and the disease can spread to the animals in the national park.
However, Meena defused any such fears saying there is no interaction between herds of IIT Madras and GNP as there is a concrete wall dividing the two. “I have inspected the boundary and there were no gaps or damage to the wall. But, we have beefed up the monitoring.”
As per the details posted on IIT-M’s webiste, the last few censuses conducted by in-house wildlife club Prakriti along with GNP officials, pegged the spotted deer population at around 250. The campus is also home to endangered blackbuck.
A wildlife veterinarian told TNIE there is nothing to be alarmed about. “The best thing to do, if TB is confirmed, is to isolate the population and observe. We should not rush to inject drugs and treat them. Unlike humans, the animals will not exhibit signs like coughing and losing weight unless they are immunocompromised. The non-invasive techniques like testing faecal samples must be explored for regular monitoring.”