Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A state-run veterinary university in Madhya Pradesh has taken up research to standardize and validate animal pregnancy kits, with focus on early detection of pregnancy in tigresses so that the big cat's nutrition and behavioral management can be put in place quickly, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University Jabalpur has been given this project by the Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society, which functions under the state forest department, Vice Chancellor SP Tiwari told PTI.
The veterinary university has taken up research to standardize and validate the animal pregnancy test kit specifically for diagnosis of pregnancy in the tigress, he said.
"The available animal pregnancy test kit could not be used commonly for all species of animals. Therefore, a separate kit was required for tigresses. The gestation period of a tigress is 99-106 days, so if pregnancy is diagnosed early, say within 26 days, then it is possible to take care of nutrition and behavioral management," explained Associate Professor Aditya Mishra, the university's Physiology and Biochemistry department in-charge and principal investigator of the project.
He said Mukundpur and Van Vihar Zoos, in Rewa and Bhopal, respectively, have been chosen for the project since collecting urine and scat samples in the wild was not possible.
