Mumbai: Domestic dogs could have passed on rabies to jackals, say experts

A total of five jackal deaths were reported from the Trombay-Chembur belt over the past month. Representation pic

As rabies infection in wild jackals around Mumbai was confirmed, mid-day spoke to wildlife veterinarians and conservationists to know what threats this poses to wild animals in general. Experts feel that domestic dogs could potentially function as key players in disease transmission in small and fragmented forest landscapes such as Mumbai, where they live in higher densities with increased encounters between the dogs themselves and wild carnivores.

On Wednesday, mid-day reported on how a jackal which died recently in Mumbai tested positive for rabies infection, making this incident probably the first case of a rabies-infected death of wildlife in Mumbai. Experienced wildlife veterinarian, Dr Shailesh Pethe said, "Domestic dogs are often known to act as ‘reservoir hosts' for pathogens, harbouring diseases of concern from the conservation of critical wildlife point of view.

It requires knowledge of infection reservoir dynamics among dogs, including movement patterns, to effectively control disease outbreaks. Such critical cases lend credence to the need for increased monitoring of spatial interactions between domestic and wild carnivores. Domestic dogs could potentially function as key players in disease transmission in small and fragmented forest landscapes such as Mumbai, where domestic dogs live at higher densities and have increased encounters between themselves and wild carnivores."

Time and again it has been observed that feral and free-ranging dogs pose a great threat to wild animals. There are often videos posted on social media showing negative interactions taking place between wild animals and feral dogs. Those working in the field of wildlife conservation and research have been raising this issue and have also been appealing that concrete steps be taken to address the problem.

Anand Pendharkar, wildlife biologist and CEO of SPROUTS, said, "We need a census of dogs across the country and serious control over their numbers. Attacks by feral and domestic dogs on wildlife are an increasing threat in the entire country. We have seen videos of dogs attacking snow leopards, marmots, bharals, leopards, lions, blackbuck, jackals, hyaenas, wolves, and even great Indian bustards. There is no count of the number of snakes, frogs, smaller birds and other creatures that dogs may have killed. Parvo-virus, canine distemper and rabies can seriously destroy the declining populations of canids in India. Jackals were so common during our childhood and youth, and now they are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Such disease outbreaks can be very dangerous for the stability and security of already declining populations of jackals."

A source from the Maharashtra Forest Department told mid-day that during the camera trapping study that was undertaken by the Mangrove Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society-India, in the mangroves belt in and around Mumbai, the researchers had also recorded events where dogs and golden jackals were having frequent interactions.

According to wildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from The Corbett Foundation, now that the rabies infection is confirmed, urgent steps are needed to prevent its spread. "Perhaps, there are more jackals infected around or in other areas connected to these mangroves, and the area needs to be scanned well for any suspected rabid jackal. The bigger issue is the challenges being faced in dealing with the increasing population of free-ranging rabid dogs that must have infected the jackals. Clearly, animal birth control programmes haven't really been consistent and therefore ineffective in preventing the increase in dog populations. Given the seriousness of this disease that can also spread and fatally affect humans, strict and urgent measures to address the issue of rabid dogs under the appropriate laws are necessary," he said.

BNHS director, Kishor Rithe said, "It's a very serious issue but we do not take it seriously in India. Even in a country like Ethiopia, they conduct massive anti-rabies vaccination drives. We have a huge population of free-ranging dogs that transmit diseases among the wild animals. There are few incidents recorded even in the pre-independence time where wild dogs had bitten several people (caused deaths too) in Melghat and recently there are similar cases elsewhere in India due to disease transmission among the wild animals. Wild dogs, jackals and wolves are probably affected more, among other wild animals."