Eight lion cubs die of suspected Babesia infection: State forest minister

Eight Asiatic lion cubs die of suspected Babesia parasitic infection in Gujarats Gir region

Gandhinagar: Eight lion cubs have died due to suspected ‘Babesia’ infection in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath and Amreli districts, state Forest Minister Arjun Modhwadia said on Friday.

To prevent potential spread, authorities have isolated lions living within a 10-km radius of the areas where the infection has been reported, he said.

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“In the suspected Babesia-related cases, eight cub deaths have come to light,” the minister said.

Babesia, a parasitic disease, spreads through ticks and can cause weakness, coughing and nasal discharge in affected animals.

The deaths of the big cat cubs due to suspected Babesia infection have been reported in the revenue areas outside the Gir sanctuary, particularly in Gir Gadhada of Gir Somnath and Babra Kot of Amreli districts, he said.

A team of veterinary doctors collected samples, which have been sent to the state-run Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre for testing, Modhwadia said.

The report is expected within the next three to four days, which will confirm if the deaths are due to Babesia infection, he said.

No such “incidents (deaths)” have been repeated in the last two days, he said.

“Forest officials, along with a team of veterinary doctors from Junagadh, visited the site and isolated the lions living within a 10-km radius,” Modhwadia said.

Earlier this week, the minister had said that two lion cubs from the Gir forest region had died due to suspected Babesia infection, while three other big cats succumbed to natural causes and infighting in separate incidents.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held a high-level meeting in Gandhinagar, where he was informed that four lion cubs had died from suspected infection, and 17 had been isolated in the wake of the possible spread of disease.

Considering that Babesia is transmitted by ticks, the authorities have launched tick-removal operations both within Gir Sanctuary and in surrounding areas, alongside the implementation of other necessary precautionary measures, the minister said.

At present, the situation is under control, and the forest department has formed teams at the site to take all necessary preventive measures, he added.

In 2018, eleven lions had died in Gujarat within a month due to a combination of canine distemper virus and protozoal infection.

As per a census conducted last year, Gujarat had 891 Asiatic lions.