After the Death of a Tigress and Her Four Cubs, Maharashtra Launches a Mass Vaccination Drive for Strays

What Is Canine Distemper Virus, a Disease Spreading From Dogs to India’s Wild Tigers?

T-141, a tigress nicknamed “Super Mom,” was eight years old and raising four cubs in Kanha Tiger Reserve. Between April 21 and April 25, three of her cubs died in quick succession in Kanha’s Sarhi zone. Forest teams rescued the tigress and her last surviving cub. They were moved to the Mukki quarantine facility. But both died within days. A PCR test confirmed the cause: the canine distemper virus, a pathogen most people associate with domestic d…

CDV Alert: Nagpur Zoos Sanitised After Virus Found in Kanha Tiger, Shimla Leopard Cubs

Detection of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in a tiger at Kanha Tiger Reserve and leopard cubs at a rescue home in Shimla has triggered a statewide alert. In response, authorities have carried out complete sanitisation of Maharajbagh Zoo, Gorewada Rescue Centre, and Balasaheb Thackeray International Zoo in Nagpur. CDV is a highly contagious viral disease that poses a serious threat to carnivorous animals. All zoos and Transit Treatment Centres (TT…

After the Death of a Tigress and Her Four Cubs, Maharashtra Launches a Mass Vaccination Drive for Strays

In the forests of central India, the threat to a tiger may not always come from a poacher’s gun or shrinking habitat. Sometimes, it arrives quietly through village lanes carried by a stray dog. Earlier this month, the deaths of a tigress and her four sub-adult cubs at Kanha Tiger Reserve sent shockwaves through India’s conservation circles. The animals reportedly died within nine days after being infected with canine distemper virus (CDV), a hig…