Animals in captivity are more at risk of disease
MATTER OF CONCERN They have poor immunity because of inactivity: Experts
LUCKNOW: Animals in captivity are more at risk of disease due to poor immunity because of inactivity in enclosures. This is probably what happened to Asiatic lioness, Laxmi and lion, Vishnu at the Etawah Lion Safari that died recently. And this could happen to other big cats too.
Worse still, the prevention of leptospirosis (the infection that killed the two animals), especially t hrough vaccination is complicated.
“The virus often gets transmitted from one animal to another and thus mutation takes place to develop a new subtype. For example, if leptospirosis is transmitted from a lion to a cat and then back to the lion, it might come as a new subtype. And making vaccine for every new subtype is difficult,” said a senior forest official.
There are more than 200 subtypes of this infection, which can cause illness and there are several other such infections that can cause death, if not diagnosed early.
Vaccination is important for humans, but in case of wild animals it becomes more important as they are housed in artificial settings, where contagious disease transmission may be enhanced.
Disease virus may not strike those kept temporarily in a cage. But in cases where wild animals are kept for longer periods (such as the case of Vishnu and Laxmi) in breeding centres for months, protection from virus and bacteria assumes an important role.
“Different countries have different virus/bacteria affecting animals. Hence, which vaccine will help depends upon the habitat only,” said an expert in animal pathology, adding: “It is also a very technical issue as several diseases that affect animals do not have a vaccine.”
Giving the example of the stray tiger that is wandering around Kanpur these days, he said that if the big cat is caught and kept in a zoo instead of being left in the jungle, it would be more at risk of disease due to poor immunity. “Vaccines are available for dogs and cats but not for lions and tigers. Companies are not interested in supplying vaccine for the big cats that number only a few hundred in the country,” said a veterinary expert.