Stray dogs within 2 km radius of Corbett Tiger Reserve's boundaries to be vaccinated

Dehradun: Stray dogs in villages within two kilometre radius of the Corbett Tiger Reserve's boundaries in Uttarakhand will be vaccinated against the canine distemper virus so that the disease does not infect tigers and elephants of the reserve.

The vaccination drive will be conducted as part of a central government funded pilot project for better health of wildlife, said Saket Badola, Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR).

Canine distemper is a contagious and serious disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of dogs.

The drive will give a boost to forest and wildlife management in Uttarakhand and help in the conservation of both tigers and elephants, Badola said.

It is a project of the National Mission for Himalayan Studies of the Government of India, the CTR director said, adding that the project aims to work on ways to improve the health of the country's wildlife.

Along with the reserve, the Veterinary Department of Uttarakhand government and Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) located in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly will jointly examine and vaccinate stray dogs in villages within two kilometres of Corbett's boundaries, he said.

In this, the IVRI team will take blood samples of dogs and check the spread of canine distemper virus in it. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 2.7 crore for this project for a period of three years, Badola said.