The death of a tigress and her four cubs within 10 days in Madhya Pradesh’s crowded Kanha Tiger Reserve, one of India’s most iconic tiger habitats, has led officials to suspect a canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreak.
“The cause of death of the tigress and her cubs was respiratory disorder and gastrointestinal infection, but we cannot rule out CDV. Samples have been sent for confirmation and preventive measures are being taken,” said L Krishnamurthy, Additional Chief Conservator of Forests of the state. Both are symptoms of CDV.
Forest department officials said they had started monitoring other tigers in the wild after the death.
Prakash Verma, field director of Kanha Sanctuary, said that samples of the tigress and the cub that died on Wednesday, while undergoing treatment, have been preserved for further examination, and water samples are also being tested. He added that monitoring teams including elephants are now tracking tigers in the Sarhi district where all the deaths occurred.
Home to about 140 tigers living in an area of 2,000 square kilometres, Kanha is among the busiest cat habitats in the country. Madhya Pradesh had 785 tigers according to the Indian Tiger Estimate 2022, the highest of any state in India.
Some experts are convinced it is CDV
Anish Anderia, director of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, urged a complete ban on free movement of dogs near forest areas.
“It is definitely CDV, and dogs are carriers of it, although they themselves are not affected. The virus can spread if dogs drink from the same water bodies used by wild animals or if they feed on herbivores or prey killed by tigers. The only option to save wildlife is to eliminate dogs from forest areas,” he said.
“Human-animal interaction has increased in recent months. Locals enter the forest with dogs in search of safety while collecting Mahua in March, Chironji in April, and Tendu in May and June leaving the reserve. The possibility of tigers being infected with CDV is very high,” said a forest official in Kanha, requesting anonymity.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said, “The loss of five tigers, possibly due to CDV, is alarming. NTCA has clear instructions for vaccinating dogs, yet those roaming within 5 km of Kanha have not been vaccinated. In 2015, Panna Tiger Reserve also reported tiger deaths due to CDV. Preventive measures here were delayed as officials were busy transporting wild buffaloes from Assam.”
Dube called for a fair investigation and that the officials responsible be held accountable.
Since January, seven tigers – including two females – have died in the Kanha Tiger Reserve. In January, a sub-adult tiger was found dead in Anjaneya area of Mandla district, just 12 km from the reserve. On April 5, another female was found dead in the Kanhari range. Officials attributed these deaths to natural causes or internal fighting.
Crowding poses its own risks, although tigers are not as social as lions. In 2018, around 30 lions are believed to have died in Gir, Gujarat, from CDV, which likely jumped from dogs around the region.
