Bhawanipatna: The livestock inspector of Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary in Kalahandi was placed under suspension for dereliction of duty Monday by the Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Chaitanya Charan Sethi.
According to sources, the official Ganesh Pujari allegedly failed to discharge his duty during vaccination of cattle in nearby villages of the sanctuary. The vaccination drive was carried out following consecutive deaths of seven elephants in the sanctuary owing to hemorrhagic septicemia, Additional Director of state Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) department Pratap Keshari Khamari informed.
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“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,” Khamari expressed.
Notably, the Forest Department took measures including disinfection of water bodies, vaccination and sanitisation works in order to prevent any probable spread of the deadly bacteria in the region.
A three-member Central team had visited the sanctuary to find out the cause of jumbo deaths. The team collected samples and sent them to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly for testing.
The team confirmed septicemia as the main reason for the death of the pachyderms. High stress level in the body led to the spread.
PNN