In
Bahubali – there is a scene where Baahubali’s step brother and his nemesis
showcases his enormous strength by fighting a big bull. Rana
Daggubati displays brute force in taming a wild bull, which a dozen men
could not tether ~ below the screen would
scroll, ‘it is computer graphics - no animals were tortured’. In Pammal Sambandham, Kamal as a stuntman would get into trouble
when animal right activists would protest !
In Adimai Penn, MGR fought
a real lion – which later days he kept
as pet and after death is kept in MGR museum.
Much has changed since !
lion from Junagadh zoo pictured by me
earlier. It has
changed so much that Walt Disney Pictures in 2019 film ‘The Lion King’ directed and produced by Jon Favreau, announced
that it is photorealistic computer-animated remake of Disney's traditionally
animated 1994 film of the same name. The
plot follows Simba, a young lion who must embrace his role as the rightful king
of his native land following the murder of his father, Mufasa, at the hands of
his uncle, Scar.
Humans killing animals is
nothing new ! – they would call it sport or would call for their own use. In 2020, Denmark culled 17 million minks in
response to outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. The Danish government spared no mink, killing
infected and healthy animals, alike. "We would rather go a step too far
than take a step too little to combat Covid-19,” the country’s foreign minister
Jeppe Kofod said at a press conference in early November 2020. The country's
prime minister later apologized and its food and agriculture minister stepped
down when the order to kill the animals was declared illegal. The story,
however, did not end there. After that
cruel mass slaughter, hundreds of mink carcasses emerged from their graves. No ghosts though ! - buried in shallow pits and trenches in
Western Denmark, the dead minks were pushed out of the ground by gas emitted
from their decomposing bodies, leading to more outrage and concern.
Humans,
ferrets, cats, civets and dogs are the animals most susceptible to infection
with the new coronavirus, researchers say. The analysis of 10 species also
found that ducks, rats, mice, pigs and chickens were less or not susceptible to
SARS-CoV-2 infection. For their study, the researchers used computer modeling
to assess how the new coronavirus uses spike proteins on its surface to invade
the cells of different animals. The main entry point on a cell's surface is the
ACE2 receptor, which binds with the spike protein. People have a wide range of
ACE2 variants, as do different species. Variants of the ACE2 receptor in
humans, followed by ferrets, cats, dogs and civets, have the strongest binding
to the spike protein on the new coronavirus. Mice, rats, chicken and ducks have
poor binding, according to the researchers.
While this is all about
pets – what about Zoo animals !! - Eight
Asiatic lions at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad tested positive for the novel coronavirus,
making it the first such case where an animal in the state has contracted the
disease. Zoo authorities had decided to carry out RT-PCR tests on the lions
after they began to show symptoms. According to sources, the zoo authorities
noticed that the lions were found coughing and had
nasal discharge. They had also reportedly noticed a loss of appetite.
When the symptoms were brought to the notice of the zoo officials and the
veterinarians, it was decided to get the lions tested for COVID-19.
Hyderabad’s Nehru
Zoological Park has a total of 12 lions. Eight among them have been found
positive for the virus. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)
Director Rakesh Mishra told TNM that the same kits that are used for humans were
used to test the big cats too. Mishra added that the samples collected from the
lions were sequenced by CCMB and were found to belong to the A2a variant of the
SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to reports, the A2a variant was one of the most
common variants found in the genomes of the virus analysed during the first
wave. It has been speculated that other mutant variants — like the double mutant variant and the N440K
variant — are driving the alarming
second wave of COVID-19 in India. Mishra said that it was not these worrying
newer mutant variants, but the older A2a variant, which was found in the
samples from the Hyderabad lions. While
the source of infection is difficult to ascertain, Mishra said that it is
possible that the animals may have contracted the virus from the caretakers or
other humans who were in contact with them.
He added, “Infections in
animals have been a concern, but people have tested and found that it’s not
generally seen in cats or dogs. But we are going to do more extensive testing
now and we’ll try to find out more information." The
Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a statement,
saying, "Based on experience with zoo animals elsewhere in the world that
have tested SARS-COV-2 positive last year, there is no factual evidence that
animals can transmit the disease to humans any further."
The Hyderabad zoo has been closed to the public since May 2 in view of the rising cases of COVID-19 after an advisory from the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi to close all zoological parks, national parks, tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries for visitors. Based on the orders, it was decided that the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, the Kakatiya Zoological Park in Warangal, the Kawal and Amrabad Tiger Reserves, and all national and wildlife sanctuaries in Telangana be shut as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of virus among wildlife.
A senior official said the
samples from the wild animals will be collected either by ‘Squeeze cage’ method
or by tranquilising them. In the ‘squeeze cage’ method, the animal will be confined
in a cage without any space so that it cannot move or resist while taking
samples. The animal keepers taking care of lions have been provided with PPE
kits even as moats are kept well ventilated and sanitized, a Telangana
government press release said. A few of the staff members who tested positive
of the virus were asked to remain in isolation even as 95 per cent of the
employees of the zoo have been vaccinated.
Miles away, Russia has
registered the world's first vaccine for animals against Covid-19, its
agricultural regulator said on Wednesday, after tests showed it generated
antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink. Mass production of
the vaccine, called Carnivac-Cov, can start in April, regulator
Rosselkhoznadzor said. The regulator said the vaccine would be able
to protect vulnerable species and thwart viral mutations. Russia has so far
only registered two cases of Covid-19 among animals, both in cats. Rosselkhoznadzor
said Russian fur farms planned to buy the vaccine, along with businesses in
Greece, Poland and Austria. Russia's fur farm industry accounts for around 3%
of the global market, down from 30% in the Soviet era, according to the main
trade body.
Interesting !
7th May 2021.
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