AIZAWL:
At least three wild boars were found dead in a forest near Leisenzo village in east Mizoram’s Champhai district near the Myanmar border, an official of the state animal husbandry and the veterinary department said.
The department joint director (Livestock Health) Dr Lalhmingthanga said that the carcasses of two female wild pigs and a wild piglet were found by locals in a forest about 6 km from the village on July 19. Even though the wild boars have died under strange conditions, African Swine Fever (ASF) was firmly believed to be behind their deaths.
On being informed, officials of animal husbandry and veterinary and forest departments rushed to the spot on July 20 and examined the decomposed carcasses at Leisenzo. The samples of the dead wild boars were sent to Bhopal to discover the cause of their deaths, he said.
Earlier on July 1, officials also found the carcass of a wild pig that died in a forest in the Samthanga area in the same district. The wild pigs were highly suspected to have died of ASF, he said.
According to the data released by the state animal husbandry and veterinary department on July 20, a total of 8,539 pigs have died in the ASF outbreak. So far, 7,018 pigs have been culled to prevent further spread of the outbreak since its recurrence in February. While the outbreak has currently affected 119 villages and localities in 10 out of 11 districts in the state, the data said.