Virus claims one more jackal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Another jackal in the city zoo died following viral infection the other day. Thus, the total number of jackals that succumbed to the canine distemper virus has become four. The remaining four too have been confirmed with the virus infection. The survival chances of these four too are said to be bleak.   The jackal, which died the other day, had been serious  for some days. It was four years old. The post-mortem of the jackal was held and samples sent to the Chief Disease Investigation Laboratory (CDIL) in Palode. The CDIL has sent some samples to Centre for Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for further probe.   The adverse weather conditions have raised concerns among the zoo officials, who are trying hard to check the spread of the virus. “We have to strengthen our measures owing to the bad weather conditions. Virus disinfection methods have been taken. We are also in discussion with international experts on the matter. This is a rare situation. The virus is commonly found only in stray dogs. The virus became more fatal on jackals. It is a confusing situation,” Zoo veterinarian Dr Jacob Alexander said. “The four remaining jackals were detected with virus infection in the early stages itself. They were given antibody for the virus. That may be the reason why they are still surviving. However, the survival chances of the four are very doubtful,” Dr Jacob said. “The second bacterial infection has been contained,” he added.  The stray dogs which are roaming on the Museum premises are likely to have spread the canine distemper virus. Canine distemper virus infection is rare in animals other than stray dogs. The rare situation coupled with the adverse weather conditions has put the zoo authority in a confusing state. The only thing to do is to check the spread of the disease.  Since the jackals belong to Schedule-1 category, steps such as euthanasia are a time-consuming process.