Help rescue wild animals and birds in India

The Bandipur National Park is situated at the confluence of Western and Eastern Ghats in Karnataka in Southern India, serving as a central link in the seasonal migration of Elephants from Mudumalai National Park and Satyamangalam Forest Division in the east and south east to Nagarahole National Park and Wynad Sanctuary in the west and North West. The Park is a significant component of the 5500 sq.km ‘Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’ which is one of the largest conservation areas in India. A large population of elephants is found here along with seven large ungulate species and three large predatory carnivores – tigers, leopards and dholes.

 For the first time, Bandipur Tiger Reserve will have a dedicated mobile unit manned by trained veterinarian and caretaker to attend to wildlife emergencies reported from the region. The main objective of the MVS unit is to return every displaced animal to the wild while following the IUCN guidelines on translocation and placement of confiscated animals. 

he MVS clinics function under the concept that animals estranged from their natural habitat, either due to human interference or by accident, must be given every chance to return to their natural habitat. The major methods of operation of the MVS unit in a project area are:

1. Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation

2. Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation

3. Immunization of livestock around protected areas

4. Captive elephant care

5. Disease investigation, surveillance and control

A. Wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conflict mitigation

The MVS team was called to several cases of leopard and tiger attacks where cattle had been attacked and killed. Many cases were reported in the Hediyala and Omkara range and in one case, a tiger was seen attacking a cow. A large mob surrounded a lantana thicket in which the tiger was hiding and after an individual threw a stone at the tiger, the tiger rushed out and attacked a man, causing severe injuries to his rear end and thighs. The mob became violent and chased the tiger back into the forest. The MVS team assisted in coordinating the arrival of police to handle the mob situation and helped with the placement of camera traps in the area.

Three cases of leopard bites on cattle were reported in the Kundkere range. All the animals were treated and are in good health.

In the last week of November, the MVS unit was called in to attend to a case in which a tiger had killed a man and carried his body into the forest to eat. A massive operation was launched in which the MVS veterinarian assisted the Forest Department in an attempt to capture the animal. Members of the MVS team assisted significantly in the control of the mob. In one case, the mob was dispersed as the MVS Veterinarian had treated several animals in the village from which the miscreants were. Upon recognizing the vet, members of the mob stopped the situation from escalating and helped disperse the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately on the final day of the operation, the tiger was killed with a shot to the head after it attacked a forest guard. A post- mortem was conducted the following day which confirmed the tiger was indeed the same one that killed the man.

B. Disease investigation

A few more Foot and Mouth Disease cases were reported in the Hediyala Range for which treatment was administered to the cattle affected. It is of note that these cases occurred in the same range in which the tiger was killing cattle and people and further study is required to conclude a positive link between the two issues.

In the Nagerhole Forest, a tiger was found in a severely debilitated condition by a patrol. The tiger was unable to move and was tranquilized and transported to the Mysore Zoo. The MVS Veterinarian assisted the Zoo Veterinarians in conducting a postmortem. The PM revealed several issues with the tiger which included lung flukes, intestinal parasites, pericarditis and pleuritis along with hemorrhagic lesions in the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and intestines.

The postmortem of the tiger killed in Hediyala too showed several lesions on the liver and intestines indicative of parasitism. Additionally, samples were collected and sent for analysis to detect rabies and the presence of Canine Distemper, a disease carried and spread by feral dogs.

 C. Captive elephant care

The MVS Veterinarian in coordination with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) carried out a second detailed investigation in response to the initial report sent. A committee was formed by the AWBI under instruction from a Supreme Court Panel to investigate the elephants health and well-being. One elephant was deemed severely unwell and was given treatment. Unfortunately, during the time the MVS veterinarian was attending the tiger incident in Hediyala, the elephant fell over and died. An external veterinarian tried to attend to the ailing elephant but was not allowed to administer any treatment by the owner and mahouts. Following the death of the animal, the PCCF, Karnataka gave orders to seize the surviving animals which were sent to the Doddaharave Camp for rehabilitation and care. The MVS Veterinarian will continue to offer treatment to the elephants on an on call basis.

Following the Dussehra celebrations, one elephant, 'Chaitra', delivered a premature calf after being transported back to Bandipur. The MVS veterinarian has checked the calf and is currently observing the calf in case any health issues arise.

D. Awareness and training programs

The MVS team has visited and treated several animals in peripheral villages around Bandipur and Nagerhole. Awareness has been raised and panchayat members have been recruited in an attempt to assist mob control should it arise during a conflict situation.

Following the Hediyala tiger incident, it was determined that the Forest Department staff were not trained and capable to handle basic first aid. The MVS Veterinarian will conduct a short first aid course in coordination with St. Johns Ambulance First Aid Training program to ensure every member of the Bandipur FD Staff is sufficiently qualified to administer first aid in an emergency situation

E. Plan for next month

The MVS Team will continue to attend to wild animal and livestock cases in and around the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and carry out awareness campaigns in areas of high human-animal conflict. 

The Bandipur National Park is situated at the confluence of Western and Eastern Ghats in Karnataka in Southern India, serving as a central link in the seasonal migration of Elephants from Mudumalai National Park and Satyamangalam Forest Division in the east and south east to Nagarahole National Park and Wynad Sanctuary in the west and North West. The Park is a significant component of the 5500 sq.km ‘Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’ which is one of the largest conservation areas in India. A large population of elephants is found here along with seven large ungulate species and three large predatory carnivores – tigers, leopards and dholes.

 For the first time, Bandipur Tiger Reserve will have a dedicated mobile unit manned by trained veterinarian and caretaker to attend to wildlife emergencies reported from the region. The main objective of the MVS unit is to return every displaced animal to the wild while following the IUCN guidelines on translocation and placement of confiscated animals. The unit will be served by a small field station that will have basic facilities to accommodate temporarily displaced animals till their release. Non-releasable animals will be sent to zoos for lifetime care and breeding. The unit by its presence in the area will also help to create awareness drives amongst the local villagers on how to deal with and respond to different conflict scenarios.

The MVS clinics function under the concept that animals estranged from their natural habitat, either due to human interference or by accident, must be given every chance to return to their natural habitat. The major methods of operation of the MVS unit in a project area are:

1. Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation

2. Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation

3. Immunization of livestock around protected areas

4. Captive elephant care

5. Disease investigation, surveillance and control

Here is a summary of some of the cases attended to by our MVS team.

The MVS unit attended to a total of 17 cases of displaced wildlife belonging to 12 species during the reporting period. This includes nine cases of mammals (5 species), and 7 cases of birds (6 species) including rose ringed parakeets, bonnet macaque and an elephant calf.

Necropsy’s to determine the cause of death of wild animals:

The MVS unit started operating even before the official launch and was contacted for conducting a necropsy on an elephant calf that had presumably killed by a tiger barely 1 km from the main Bandipur Tiger Reserve gate. The patrolling staff and Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) had seen the calf on a hillock but couldn’t approach it as the herd was nearby. They informed the MVS unit which immediately left for the location. However, they couldn’t locate the carcass and could notice blood and drag marks indicating the predator had pulled the carcass uphill into the nearby bush. As it was already late in the night and with the possibility of the cat being nearby, the team decided to come again in the morning and check the carcass. The team upon reaching next day early morning saw the remnants of a 3-4 month only elephant calf about 100 m away from the original site. The calf had been complete eviscerated and all the organs had been consumed. The body had started decomposing, but the neck had the characteristic marks of a big cat kill. No necropsy was conducted as the cause of death was obvious and the team left the area after ensuring that the carcass was incinerated.

In addition to this, the forest department requested the MVS veterinarian to assist the Forest Department veterinarian to conduct necropsy on animals that died in the wild. This included one case of leopard and one adult male elephant (tusker). On 16^th September, the MVS veterinarian along with the Forest Department Veterinarian conducted a necropsy on a young male leopard in the Kundkere Range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The observations from the post-mortem suggest that the leopard died of unnatural causes and possibilities included poisoning. However poisoning need to confirmed following a forensic toxicological examination of the collected samples of viscera.

On 26^th September, the MVS Vet was again requested to assist the FD veterinarian in conducting a necropsy on an adult male tusker that was found dead in the core area of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. When the team reached, they realised that the tusker had died a couple of days back and next to a waterhole. On examination the team found two bullets below the ear and rib cage (figure 4). The bullet was removed and sent for forensic examination, as the team speculated that poachers had shot down the elephant for its tusks. Examination of internal organs could not be performed as it had decomposed. The team was asked to remove the tusks and submit the same to the forest department and incinerate the elephant.  

Domestic animals and livestock:

In addition to wild animals, the MVS unit responded to several call outs regarding problems with domestic animals, especially dogs. Similar calls came from Kundkere range area in regards to rabid dogs that had been terrorizing local villagers. Two dogs were euthanized when they were found showing signs of rabies, another dog was found dead on arrival and was suspected of having died from rabies. Seeing the need for a vaccination campaign the MVS veterinarian assisted a local NGO with the vaccination of several dogs in the vicinity of Kundkere Range. No new cases of rabies have been reported but locals have been instructed to keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior in their dogs that may indicate rabies. The MVS Team was, however alerted in September to a single adult dog that had died in the first week of September, which was suspected to be due to rabies as it had been bitten by another dog a week previously. In one case, parvoviral enteritis was seen in three puppies in the Khaninpura Colony. Fluids and antibiotics were administered, however all three puppies died as treatment was not continued by the owners. Both Parvoviral enteritis and rabies have been shown to have significant decimating effects on wild canid and feline species. It is therefore just as important to vaccinate dogs against the disease.

                The MVS veterinarian was also called to provide treatment for several cases of livestock that had been attacked and injured by wild animals, especially leopards in in the Kundkere, Hediyala and N.Begur Ranges (figure 5).There was also a few cases where tigers had injured cattle after unsuccessful predation attempts. Deworming was carried out in a few animals in the vicinity of the field station and first aid was administered to a cow which had been struck by a speeding car. MVS team assisted Forest Department personnel in the confiscation of several cattle and buffaloes that were being smuggled across the border, late in the night, through the N.Begur/Gundre Ranges into Kerala. The livestock were rounded up and brought to an anti-poaching camp for the rest of the night. They were treated for small wounds and injuries and then transported by truck to a Gowshala outside Mysore.

The MVS vet has also been attending to ‘Rana’ the new wildlife sniffer dog at the park. Rana receives regular consultations and checkups to ensure he is at the top form to carry out his demanding job.

Rescue of Elephant Calf and Captive Elephant care:

The MVS unit attended to a case of elephant calf that had fallen in a trench. The Forest Department had managed to pull the elephant calf out and along with the MVS team, tried to reunite the calf, but it failed. So it was decided that elephant calf be shifted to the captive elephant camp at Bandipur, where the MVS Veterinarian can assist the department in management of the calf. Unfortunately, the calf died in the camp a month later, following a long period of inappetence, diarrhea and general poor body condition. The veterinarian conducted the necropsy, and determined the cause of death to be colic and intestinal herniation.

In addition to providing assistance in managing the elephant calf at the camp, the vet also treated a few elephants, which included a case of papillomatous warts on the trunk of young elephants, diarrhea in an adult elephant, at Rampura camp. In addition, several elephants have been transferred to Mysore from Bandipur as well as other National Parks around the State for the annual Dussehra celebrations. The elephants are healthy are now being supervised by the Forest Department Veterinarian within the Mysore Palace premises. In the absence of the adult elephants, the MVS unit was also tending to a calf, “Naina” who was born in captivity. The resident captive tusker “Jayaprakash” in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve was also signs of entering ‘Musth’. The MVS veterinarian was observing him closely and he will be properly supervised by the Forest Department personnel through the entire Musth period.

Links:

• Article in the business standard about the MVS