Latest news with #CDV
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bartlett animal shelter in crisis
BARTLETT, Tenn. – The Bartlett Animal Shelter is calling on the community for help as it struggles to maintain its status as a low kill shelter, according to the shelter's official social media page. In a social media post Tuesday, those with the shelter say they have worked tirelessly to remain a low kill shelter for 23 years but given the current status of the Memphis Animal Shelter, the flood of animals abandoned, surrendered or found on the street is more than the shelter is equipped to handle at this time. This comes as Memphis Animal Services (MAS) was forced to close its doors twice this year due to an ongoing Distemper (CDV) outbreak. The shelter has since reopened, but dog intake still remains closed at this time. 'We are only accepting dogs through Emergency Intake Protocols, which apply to cases where an animal control officer is called out to help a dog that is sick or injured, in immediate danger, or poses a public safety risk,' says MAS. With limited resources available, the Bartlett Animal Shelter is calling on the public for help as adoptions and foster homes continue to plummet. 'We cannot do this alone, says the Bartlett Animal Shelter, 'The animals need you now more than ever.' If interested in adopting or becoming a foster parent, the shelter is open weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. More information on available pets, can be found on the city's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
4 held poaching monitor lizards with dogs in Amrabad tiger reserve
Hyderabad: Four men using feral dogs to hunt monitor lizards were caught by forest officials in the Achampet division of Amrabad tiger reserve on Friday. The illegal use of feral dogs inside the tiger reserve has become a major cause of concern as they could spread diseases to wildlife, officials said. Ten monitor lizards were seized from the four accused – Katraju Raju (30), Katraju Niranjan (30), Balmoori Linga Swamy (29) and Raya Balaiah (40) – all residents of Padmanapally village in Lingal Mandal. They were caught near the Ramesh Gundala region within the Lingal Range, divisional forest officer (DFO) Rohit Gopidi said. The suspects and the carcasses were brought to the Lingal range office. A case was booked and the offenders were being processed for remand, forest officials said. Risk of Disease Transmission These dogs, often unvaccinated, pose a major biosecurity risk. They can carry and transmit fatal viruses such as canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus (CPV), and rabies to wild carnivores. This disease spillover is especially dangerous for tigers, leopards, and dholes, which are highly susceptible to CDV – a virus known to cause neurological damage and high mortality in wild populations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Launch at Godrej Sector 12 | Luxurious 3 & 4 BHK Homes @₹2.91 Cr* Godrej Majesty Book Now Undo Officials warned that beyond direct disease transmission, domestic dogs disrupt ecological balance by competing with wild predators, harassing wildlife, and even preying on smaller animals. The presence of such threats undermines ongoing conservation efforts in one of India's largest tiger reserves. The forest department said that the accused will be prosecuted under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Canine distemper cases on the rise
1 2 Chennai: In the Oct-Dec period every year, when the northeast monsoon is on in the city, another trend an uptick in viral infections among pet dogs unfolds quietly. Between March 2011 and Feb 2019, researchers at Teaching Veterinary Hospital of Madras Veterinary College reviewed 1,447 suspected cases. Of these, 1,185 dogs were clinically diagnosed with Canine Distemper (CD), a contagious and deadly viral disease, recording a positivity rate of nearly 82%. Researchers from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas) and University of Missouri, who conducted the study, found that CD cases rose during the northeast monsoon and winter months. They developed a forecasting model using past disease data and weather variables such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and wind speed. "Community or stray dogs could be already infected, but they survive because of strong immunity. The virus spreads through their saliva and urine. When you take unvaccinated pet dogs on a walk and they come in contact with it, there are chances of them getting infected," said Naveen Kumar Viswanathan, the study's corresponding author, who worked with the research team in Tanuvas Salem, Namakkal, Chennai, and University of Missouri. Canine Distemper is an airborne virus that also spreads through contact with infected secretions. It affects the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems in dogs and can be fatal, especially in those not vaccinated. Researchers observed that CD cases peak in Nov. While most cases occurred during the monsoon and winter, the patterns traced back to the summer. When temperatures and humidity rise during summer, dogs often gather in cooler places for shelter. These groupings create conditions for the virus to spread later, as it survives longer in cooler months. The virus is shed by infected dogs and can settle on surfaces. In summer, the virus dies off faster. But in winter and during rains, it stays active longer in the environment, leading to faster transmission. The study reported higher CD prevalence in northern parts of Chennai, particularly Nagar and Royapuram. Researchers linked this to high population density and the practice of allowing pet dogs to roam freely. "More long-term studies linking weather and disease patterns are needed. CDV has already affected lions in Gujarat. If the virus crosses over to humans, we must be prepare," Naveen Kumar said.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Who let the dogs out?
Kadbanwadi (Pune) The Kadbanwadi grassland of the Deccan plateau wear a different colour depending on the season: in summer the grass shimmers gold; in monsoon the grassland turn parakeet green. About 276 kilometres away from Maharashtra's capital of Mumbai, atop a hill is the Kadbanwadi village, on the edge of the grassland that stretches across about 2,000 hectares, in Indapur tehsil of Pune district. Here, the shepherd community — the Shegar Dhangar — has coexisted with animals and birds through time. The Bengal fox, striped hyena, and Brahminy kite are few in number. The Indian grey wolf is considered the guardian of the grassland. As an apex predator, it indicates the health of the ecosystem, regulating the numbers of smaller predators and herbivores. These wolves, brown with black-and-white markings on their backs, are on the 'Red List' of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an environmental network, meaning they are at risk of extinction. The species is also on India's Schedule I list of animals, which receive the highest level of protection. There are many reasons for the slow disappearance of these wolves. Among them is habitat loss, because of agriculture and semi-urban expansion into grasslands, say scientists and Forest Department officials. Over the past decade however, an additional threat has emerged: free-ranging dogs that hunt in packs. These animals, descendants of domesticated dogs, have streaks of wild behaviour. They have begun to appear in villages around the grassland to scavenge on the waste dumped by cities. Kadbanwadi has a few poultry farms, which are, as per the usual practice, located at some distance from urban centres. A poultry farm worker in Kadbanwadi says, 'We are supposed to bury the dead, but the dogs come for the carcasses and become aggressive.' From the villages, the dogs, which usually hunt in packs of 12-17, but can range from packs of five to 50, fan out into the grassland, where the foxes live. Wolf pups are vulnerable to dogs that live around villages and grassland. Every interaction with a dog carries threats of disease and hybridisation of the wolf species, posing significant dangers to their already declining population. As per the Forest Department, from 2016 till a few years ago, Kadbanwadi had at least 70 adult wolves. In December 2024, they spotted 11. There were six as per the most recent count. Disease and disappearance In January 2025, two wolves died of canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious disease found in dogs, in Indapur tehsil. 'CDV poses a significant threat to wolves impacting their health and survival,' says Ajit Suryawanshi, a Range Forest Officer in Indapur. CDV among wolves can be transmitted when they come into direct contact with an infected dog or through fomites, which can further infect other animals around them, explains Dr. Sujit Kolangath, a veterinary doctor at the Wildlife Research & Training Centre, Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur. Suryawanshi says that dogs attack the wolves when they find them to be fewer in number, weaker, or isolated. 'These dogs are ferocious. The cross-breeding between stray dogs and wolves can lead to genetic dilution of wolf populations, disrupt the wolf pack structures, and create hybrids with unpredictable behaviours and health issues.' Mihir Godbole, the founder and president of Pune-based The Grasslands Trust, which works towards biodiversity conservation, says his organisation has multiple photographs from the area of hybrid-looking wolf-dogs. Wolves can contract rabies from dogs, especially where the dog population is high. There is no count of the dogs, though villagers say they have spotted between six and eight packs. When the wolves interact with these dogs, disease spreads through bites, saliva, or scratches. Canine parvovirus, which can cause mortality and disrupt pack dynamics, is the third documented disease, also transmitted through dogs and other canines like foxes. The days of the wolves Bhajandas Pawar, 67, a retired high school teacher and a former sarpanch of Kadbanwadi village, says people have always coexisted with the wolves. As a science teacher, he would tell children stories about the food chain and ecosystems. Sitting under the shade of a neem tree, he says, 'When I was a child, I remember seeing up to 25 wolves at a time in the grassland. While brushing my teeth every morning, I watched the wolves feeding on chinkara (Indian gazelle) or deer. Their pups would play in the grassland. There used to be some mornings in the village when the wolves were found to have attacked and fed on domestic goats.' Bhajandas and some villagers consider wolf attacks on livestock a sign of luck. 'If a wolf takes away one goat, we believe it is a blessing and that it will bring prosperity next year,' he says. Wolf attacks are now uncommon. Instead, the dogs that attack the shepherds' flocks. Lata Anil Gawade, 44, who lives in Kadbanwadi, says each time she or her children take the sheep and goats out to graze, the dogs chase them. She remembers one incident when, from a pack of about eight dogs, an aggressive female ran after her children. 'I no longer let the children take the animals out,' she says, adding that the goats had scratch marks when she went back in the evening to bring them home. Her son, Suyog Anil Gawade, 24, says their relatives in Baramati have reported several incidents of dogs biting cattle and people. Rushikesh Gawade, a PhD scholar at IIT Bombay, studying the shepherd community, grew up in Kadbanwadi listening to the stories of how wolves stalked shepherds to steal a sheep or two. 'Kadbanwadi is a settlement of shepherds. The grassland around the village served as an excellent pasture for the shepherds. It is apparent from the stories that a symbiotic relationship has existed between the shepherds and the wolves.' Back then, stray dogs weren't seen in the region. 'We started seeing them only in the last 10 years. However, the decline in the population of wolves cannot be blamed on the dogs alone.' He says the declining practice of shepherding itself is a reason. As part of a reserve forest, the Kadbanwadi grassland is protected. Mangesh Tate, the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Pune, quotes the Maharashtra Forest Rules, 2014, which state that if the forest officer is unable 'to chase away or capture the dog or any other domesticated or trained animal… out of the limits of such forest without delay, it shall be lawful for him to kill or cause such trespassing animal to be killed or trapped or removed from the forest… whether or not, the animal has frightened, driven away, wounded or killed any wild animal'. However, Forest Department officials are wary of killing dogs out of fear of a backlash from animal rights activists and dog lovers. The officials say they are considering vaccinating the dogs, but the process is difficult because the dogs are not easy to catch. Human-wildlife conflict researcher and senior research fellow at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Akashdeep Roy, says the rising population of free-ranging dogs is a serious concern for wildlife and humans. 'We have to invest in unlearning in the conservationist domain and in civil society, especially among the 'so-called' dog lovers. Annually, there have been over 18,000 human casualties due to rabies in India and 22 lakh dog bite cases, of which 48 resulted in deaths, were reported in the country last year.' Out in the grassland It's 9 a.m. and the sun is already blazing over Indapur. A team of wildlife researchers, a photographer, and a Forest Department guard venture into the grassland. There are 50 waterholes where gazelles, common here, drink water. They hide behind tall grasses as they hear cars approaching. It takes them a while to get used to the camera. The area has various kinds of trees: neem, babul, and gliricidia sepium, which is native to the tropics of Central America. Raju Pawar, a guide and an Indapur resident, says these trees were planted 30 years ago to save the open grassland from encroachment. 'Recently we learnt that the grassland does not require such trees, so we have stopped further plantations,' he says. Four students: Tanya Drolia, Khushi Rathore, Shubham Mamania, and Nivedita Moorthy, from Symbiosis School of Visual Arts and Photography, Pune, have been documenting the wolves for over a year. They have been here since 4 a.m. Drolia says their documentary, Ghost of the Deccan Grasslands, started as an independent initiative, but they have received support from their institution. 'We aim to screen the documentary at universities, wildlife research institutes, and conservation summits to spark discussions about the conservation status of the Indian wolves. To create public awareness, we want to screen it in areas where wolves coexist with humans, as local communities play a crucial role in conservation,' she adds. Around 7 p.m. the temperature dips and the sun begins to set. A mother fox is lying outside her den, while her pups play around. They notice the cameras, but are not bothered by them. A few moments later, a sleepy hyena comes out of its den and stretches, only to fall asleep again. By this hour, the colour of the grassland changes and merges with the colour of the animals. The howling begins from across the grassland. With the entry of wolves, the movement of feral dogs is also spotted . The guard says it is time for the hunting to begin and for humans to leave the grassland. (Edited by Sunalini Matthew)
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Memphis shelter deals with second outbreak of canine distemper
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Animal Services says it has to euthanize more dogs due to a second outbreak of Canine Distemper at the shelter in less than two months. MAS made the following statement on its website: The Memphis Animal Shelter is currently responding to an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) affecting three kennel areas within the facility. To contain the spread of the disease and protect the health and safety of both the animals and the broader community, the shelter has made the incredibly difficult choice to humanely euthanize dogs who have tested positive for the virus, along with evaluating and addressing cases involving dogs at high risk of infection. Additional measures may be necessary as further test results become available. In January, nearly 100 dogs were euthanized at the Memphis animal shelter following another Distemper outbreak at the facility. Nearly 100 dogs euthanized at Memphis animal shelter due to distemper outbreak Mary Claire Borys said in January MAS was forced to euthanize exposed animals to prevent the disease from spreading to healthy animals and the community. The shelter allowed the adoption of a few previously committed animals based on the adopter's ability to safely quarantine the dog until it tested clear of infection. MAS said that Distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease that can spread rapidly in a shelter environment, particularly among young or non-vaccinated animals. During times of high puppy intake, outbreaks tend to occur as these puppies can be carriers of the virus. Toddler dies after being hit by car in Parkway Village The animal shelter said it's reinforcing ongoing sanitation protocols, continuing to isolate exposed animals, and closely monitoring the health of all animals in care. MAS remains open to the public, but they are temporarily closing intake appointments and public microchipping services until they can better control the population and ensure the safety of our animals. 'They are working with veterinary experts and the community to manage this situation responsibly and transparently,' said MAS on their website. 'Healthy, unexposed dogs remain available for adoption and fostering. We urge the community to consider adopting or fostering to help alleviate overcrowding and protect the welfare of animals still in care.' The shelter is urging all pet owners to keep their pets safe and healthy. Here's what you need to know to prevent and spot distemper: Vaccination: Ensure your pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations. Distemper is preventable, and vaccinations are the best defense against this virus. Symptoms to Watch For: If your pet shows signs like sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing, or lethargy, please consult your veterinarian immediately. Keep Distance: Limit interactions with unfamiliar animals and avoid dog parks until the situation is resolved. Spread the Word: Please share this message to help keep the community informed For more updates from MAS you can visit its Facebook page or contact Memphis Animal Services directly for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
