Karlapat Livestock Inspector Suspended For Dereliction Of Duty

Bhawanipatna: A livestock inspector at Karlapat sanctuary here in Kalahandi district has been placed under suspension by Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) for dereliction of duty.

The official, Ganesh Pujari, allegedly failed to discharge his duty as per norms during vaccination of cattle that was necessitated following mass death of elephants in the sanctuary due to haemorrhagic septicaemia, informed additional director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Pratap Keshari Khamar.

“He (Pujari) had not maintained records of vaccination of cattle properly as per guidelines. He has been suspended from the services in order to set an example for others,' Khamar said.

Mass vaccination of domestic animals in the villages closed to the sanctuary has been undertaken following the outbreak of bacterial disease (septicaemia) that killed seven elephants including a calf in a gap of 20 days.

Forest Department has stepped up measures including disinfection of water bodies, vaccination and other sanitation works to check further spread of the bacteria.

Two days ago, a three member central team had visited the sanctuary to find out the cause of the jumbo deaths. The team collected samples and sent them to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly for testing.

The team confirmed septicaemia as the main reason for the death of jumbos. Elephant Cell national coordinator Prajna P Panda, who was a part of the Central team that visited the sites on Saturday, had said that high stress level in the body of elephant has led to the spread of septicaemia.

Carcasses of six elephants-all pregnant- had been recovered from Ghusurigudi and Tentulipadar villages in the sanctuary. On Sunday, an elephant calf was also found dead due to the same reason at Ghusurigadi village.