Canine virus outbreak hits Ranchi zoo, all seven foxes die
Ranchi, Apr 13: All the seven foxes at Ranchi's Birsa zoo died in the last one month of the highly-contagious canine distemper virus (CDV), officials said on Wednesday.
Foxes, an endangered species, are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
"The first fox death was reported in the first week of March. Thereafter, one by one all the foxes in the zoo died in a month. Most of the foxes were, however, aged," director of Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park Jabbar Singh told PTI.
Experts of the Ranchi Veterinary College were informed when the first death was reported, he said.
"We have also sent samples to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) for examination. Though we have not yet received any official report from the IVRI, the institute verbally hinted that the deaths might be due to CDV," Singh said.
A scientist of IVRI-Bareilly told PTI that the sample was found to be CDV-positive.
"The zoo authority has been informed about this and has also been suggested precautionary measures needed to be taken for protecting other animals. We will send the official report to the zoo authority in a day or two," the scientist said on condition of anonymity.
Canine distemper, a naturally occurring viral infection, is considered fatal for canine families such as fox, dogs and wolves. It infects the lungs and affects respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, experts said.
"We found symptoms of pneumonia in lungs and respiratory problems. We suspect a contagious disease caused the death of the animals," said Dr MK Gupta, the chairman of Ranchi Veterinary College's Pathology Department, who conducted the post-mortem.
Most of the foxes were brought to the zoo around 2004 after being rescued, zoo officials said.
The zoo is scheduled to undertake a massive vaccination drive for the canines this month, they said.
"The vaccine dose is not available in the open market. We have to procure it from some other zoos," Singh said.
An extensive disinfection drive was also carried out in the zoo to restrict the spread of the disease, he said.
Spread over 104 hectares in Ranchi's Ormanjhi, the zoo houses about 1,450 animals and birds of 83 different species.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Paper leak mafia thriving under BJP's double-engine governments: Bhagwant Mann
Shimla (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the Centre over the alleged NEET paper leak and said that such incidents are surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments.
He said the leak and cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance test (NEET) 2026 examination is a major failure on the part of the Union government.
"This is not the first time that a paper leak has happened. Such incidents have surfaced in 2017, 2021, 2024, and now even in 2026 and every time, a CBI inquiry is initiated, arrests are made, yet after a short while, the accused are released on bail," he said.
Mann, who arrived at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium to boost the morale of the Punjab Kings team ahead of their upcoming IPL match, told the media that lakhs of students toil day and night, harbouring dreams of transforming their families' fortunes, but when exams are cancelled due to paper leaks, these students are left heartbroken.
The NEET 2026 paper held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 after reports of a paper leak in Rajasthan.
He said that the paper leak mafia is predominantly surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments. "Paper leaked, dreams shattered, the country's administrative system is unable to conduct even a single examination properly", he added.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann said that while Modi imposes various restrictions on the public, he himself continues to embark on foreign tours.
He asserted that the public deserves to know the country's true economic situation.
"The prime minister must disclose the current status of the country's oil reserves, the extent of our gold reserves, and fundamentally why restrictions are being imposed on every single commodity", he said.
No other nation has imposed such restrictions and the ongoing war is being used as a pretext, even though the country's economy is already in a precarious state, Mann added.
Regarding the ongoing campaign against drugs in Punjab, Mann said that the state government is continuously taking action against drug traffickers and asserted that a large number of traffickers are being sent to jail and that Punjab will soon move towards becoming drug-free.
Speaking about the upcoming IPL match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians to be held in Dharamshala, Mann said that he also holds the portfolio of Punjab's sports minister and has arrived in Dharamshala to cheer the team.
