Nepal's endangered elephants threatened by tuberculosis

Jul 30, 2007, 6:47 GMT

Kathmandu - Nepal's dwindling population of endangered Asian elephants, already under threat from expanding human settlements, is faced with danger from tuberculosis, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Monday.

The warning came during a workshop on 'Disease Diagnosis and Treatment of Elephants' attended by experts from several national and international organizations working for the protection of the animals.

WWF said the elephants in captivity in and around Chitwan National Park, about 120 kilometres south-west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, were exposed to the possibility of several infectious diseases including tuberculosis.

'A total of 120 elephants have been tested for tuberculosis in Chitwan since 2006,' WWF said. 'As of now, six 'high risk' elephants out of 25 suspected with tuberculosis are being segregated from other elephants for observation.'

The workshop also discussed the possibility of the disease spreading to Nepal's small wild elephant population, which could have devastating consequences.

'If tuberculosis is diagnosed in time, there is hope that we can cure the elephant,' said Dr Susan Mikota, an expert on treating TB in elephants from Elephant Care International of the US.

Until the 1960's there was a large elephant population throughout the lowland forest area of Nepal. However, rapidly rising human populations saw mass resettlement and land clearance which has had a devastating effect on elephant numbers.

According to statistics, there are about 150 wild elephants, mostly confined to protected areas, and a further 170 elephants in captivity.

The Nepalese government has established five protected reserves and an elephant breeding facility.