Overview
- Deaths occurred between December 1 and 6 at Tata Steel Zoological Park, leaving eight of the original 18 blackbucks alive.
- Post-mortems were conducted at Ranchi Veterinary College and the Central Zoo Authority was notified by local forest officials.
- Zoo staff have begun antibacterial treatment and disinfection, and Ranchi’s Birsa zoo has increased spraying and surveillance as a precaution.
- Separately, Karnataka confirmed haemorrhagic septicaemia in a recent Belagavi die-off, where 31 blackbucks died and seven recovered, with quarantine and vaccinations underway.
- Officials describe Pasteurella as widespread in cattle-dense areas, with likely transmission through environmental contamination and scavengers, and note blackbucks’ particular vulnerability to rapid disease progression.