Over 500 Dogs Vaccinated In 50 Villages Around Kanha Tiger Reserve In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After the canine distemper virus killed a tigress and its four cubs, Kanha Tiger Reserve officials, with assistance from veterinary teams, have vaccinated more than 500 dogs living in 50 villages situated within a two-km radius of the reserve.

Interacting with Free Press, Kanha Tiger Reserve deputy director Prakash Kumar Verma said the target was to vaccinate the remaining dogs by month end. There are about 900 dogs in these villages. Three veterinary teams are visiting villages daily to vaccinate the dogs.

The dogs are being vaccinated against canine distemper disease and rabies. Dogs are carriers of the canine distemper virus and rabies. Officials said that if dogs feed on a kill made by a tiger, the animal becomes susceptible to infection from the canine distemper virus.

Verma added that a campaign to sterilise dogs would begin in the first week of June. He said this would help control the dog population and its impact would be visible after five years. Kanha Tiger Reserve has more than 130 adult tigers moving across various beats and ranges.