(IN): Nainital horses test positive for glanders

May 30, 2007

Nainital horses test positive for glanders

Dinesh Mansera

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 (Nainital)

There has been an outbreak of glanders, a fatal bacterial disease,

among the horses in Nainital. The government has ordered the diseased

horses, 22 of them, be killed.

Twelve-year-old Hira is the pride and joy of Mohammed Jamal.

But now, the unthinkable has happened for Jamal as Hira has tested

positive for glanders, one of the most dreaded illnesses in the world

of horses.

There is no cure for the disease and it's highly contagious.

''When one has a child, full care is taken of it. This is a horse, but

my livelihood depends on him and now the government has announced that

he has to be killed,'' says Jamal.

A large part of Nainital's tourism rides on horses and an outbreak of

glanders is a big threat. Around 600 horses have been tested ever

since symptoms like lesions were noticed.

Compensation row

The horses, worth anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000, are the

sole means of livelihood for many of their owners.

But shockingly, the government is offering only Rs 50 as compensation

in keeping with a law that dates back to the British era in 1899.

''My livelihood depends on this animal. If it's killed, my family will

be on the road,'' says Jahid Ahmed, Horse Owner.

Facing stiff resistance from the owners, the local authorities say

they will not kill the animals until the dispute over compensation is

resolved.

''We've written to the government regarding the issue of compensation.

After we get a reply, we will go ahead with eliminating these

animals,'' said R K Sudarshan, DM, Nainital.

Glanders, which has been eradicated in most parts of the world, can

pass on to humans with prolonged contact.

At the moment, the diseased horses have been kept in isolation, but

the dispute is compounding the danger of the disease spreading further.

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