Glanders, a bacterial, zoonotic disease that affects equines and is a potential biological weapon, has been breaking out regularly across India since 2006. Should India be worried? RAJAT GHAI | New Delhi
FOR SURENDRA Singh Rajpurohit, horses are a passion as well as a source of livelihood. “I belong to a Rajput family that has been breeding horses for quite some time,” says the resident of Patan town in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district. He is in mourning as one of his best animals died recently.
“Almost three years ago, I bought a 3-month-old milk-white Marwari colt from Shahpura village in Jaipur district for ₹50,000. I named him Badal. I looked after him like he was my son. I used to give him 7 litres of milk daily besides his feed. I even gave him almonds and resins,” Rajpurohit says. “He was my pride. At the Pushkar fair during last Diwali buyers were prepared to give ₹ 700,000 for him.” Rajpurohit did not sell Badal then and in May this year tragedy struck. Badal developed mysterious lesions on his body. “It was like insect bites. The wounds continued to recur. I took him to the government veterinary hospital in Ajmer. But it was of no help. Then I sent his blood for testing to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research-National Regional Centre for Equines (ICAR-NRCE) in Hisar, Haryana. We waited for the results. But on August 1, Badal died,” Rajpurohit says.
“Other than the emotional loss, there was the monetary part. I had spent ₹ 1 lakh for breaking him (training a horse to carry a rider or pull freight). I was planning to sell him this Diwali. He would have fetched more this time. But my fate had something else in store for me,” says Rajpurohit.
The recent outbreak
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin October 16, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin October 16, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
