Wildlife-Livestock Disease Interface Management

The proximity between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife increases the chances of disease spill-over, both from wildlife to domestic animals and vice versa. This could trigger the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, and create a potential risk of extinction for wildlife populations.

Several tiger reserves in India are inhabited by agrarian communities that maintain large herds of livestock. This livestock, comprising cows, buffaloes, and goats, graze in forest areas, and on the same forest resources that are used by wild ungulates. The livestock herds are known to be carriers of many infectious disease-causing pathogens such as the Foot and Mouth Disease Virus, the Peste des petits ruminants virus, and Tuberculosis.

WCT has developed a project that assesses prevalence of infectious pathogens and herd immunity in livestock, and the effect of interactions between livestock and wild herbivores on disease prevalence.

The information gathered through this project enables us to lobby State Forest Departments to include a systematic disease surveillance mechanism in park management practices; build capacity of park veterinarians and enable access to surveillance labs; and promote research on ecology of diseases in free ranging wildlife.

Currently, the project is being executed in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and with active participation of the Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Department as well as the Project Directorate of Foot and Mouth Disease, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Mukteshwar.