Gorals die due to Goat Pox in Tawang

The mysterious deaths of wild Gorals (Naemorhedus goral)) in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh has now been confirmed as Goat Pox. Gorals are a protected species under WPA 1972 and is classified as near threatened by IUCN.

A team comprising officials from forest department, Itanagar Zoo and wildlife NGOs like WWF, WTI have undertaken surveys in various areas in the district to ascertain the cause and the extent of disease outbreak. The symptoms include profuse salivation and onset of blindness and skin lessions. Five Goral bodies have been examined in Mukto, Bongleng and Namtsering villages.

The report by the team is now available and it confirms Goat Pox. It says "Detailed examination of the internal organs revealed that the lungs had severe, extensive lesions uniformly distributed throughout the lung parenchyma. It was highly congested. The lesions suggested goat-pox virus infection. Samples were collected for forensic tests for toxicological analysis. After the post-mortem examination, both the carcasses were burnt and buried deep. We had a detailed discussion with the DFO and the villagers about the disease, its probable source and if any other species was affected. We suggested that goat-pox vaccination be carried out to prevent a possible outbreak of the disease in the vicinity," the report says.

The team has assured the local villagers that the Government will do everything that is possible under the current circumstances to help the people. It has come to light that a similar such outbreak of diseases had happened about 20 years ago in 1997.