35 ibex died from contagious disease in Kirthar National Park

• 35 ibex have died in the Kirthar National Park.
• Over 100 wild goats have been infected by the disease.
• The wildlife has not been vaccinated.

JAMSHORO: The lives of wildlife are in danger as at least 35 ibex have died from a highly contagious animal disease in the Kirthar National Park.

Over 100 wild goats at Kirthar Park have been infected by the disease. The Wildlife Department workers have shifted the ailing animals to another place. The Kirthar National Park has thousands of goats in the mountain range between Sindh and Balochistan.

Experts said that the wild goats have been infected by the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) disease and stressed for vaccination of the animals. The nose and eyes of the animal are affected by the deadly disease and the ailing animal dies within three to four days, they added. Around 100 wild goats died in an outbreak of the PPR disease at Kirthar National Park in 2010.

The PPR, also known as sheep and goat plague, is a highly contagious animal disease affecting small ruminants.  Once introduced, the virus can infect up to 90 percent of an animal herd, and the disease kills anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of infected animals. The PPR virus does not infect humans.

The disease was first identified in 1942 and has spread to large regions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. More than 70 countries have confirmed the prevalence of PPR  and several others are at risk.

Sindh Wildlife Protection Agency took notice of the matter. Deputy Conservator Hyderabad Wajid Shaikh confirmed that 35 Ibex mountain goats died due to the disease.

He said samples have been taken from the dead animals to find out the cause of death and sent to laboratories in Karachi, Islamabad, Tando Jam, and Lahore.

He said the disease responsible for the deaths will be known when the reports are released. He said the vaccination of wildlife has not been conducted.  So far, 35 Ibex have been confirmed dead, he added.

He said the Sindh government has been written through the Department of Livestock to vaccinate the cattle in the villages around the park so that the disease does not spread to the ibex.