The famous Bengal tiger, an endangered species, is under attack by a deadly dog virus and India is doing its best to keep them safe, according to MSN News.
According to Rajesh Gopal of India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, at least four Bengal tigers died across northern and eastern India last year. The culprit for the deaths is called canine distemper virus, a virus common among dogs, but deadly to other carnivores.
"We cannot vaccinate every dog, of course. But even 50 percent of dogs in the zones around sanctuaries would help," Gopal told MSN News. However, Gopal did not disclose what plans his team is considering and there are no vaccines for the tigers yet.
The Bengal tiger, ranked 20th in WWF's list of endangered species, is facing many survival challenges. It has been a victim of rampant poaching and its shrinking habitat is attributed to India's development and growth trends.
The canine distemper virus is a close relative of measles and mostly found in domestic dogs. The virus is not dangerous among dogs, but is believed to ravage other carnivore populations. Dogs can often recover from the virus, but tigers, lions, and leopards, once infected, suffer from fever, seizures and delirium until they die. For instance, the virus almost wiped out the population of U.S. black-footed ferret in the late 1970s. In 1994, 3,000 African lions almost died because of the virus introduced by tourists' dogs in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
"These are very disturbing finds," Dr. A.K. Sharma, head scientist at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, told MSN News. "The cases were quite distant from each other, and the latest was an area where there are no dogs. So it appears the virus is spreading."
Dr. Sharma's lab performed the canine distemper lab tests.
"In the last case, forest guards said they saw the animal in a confused state before it died," he said.
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