Nepal Elephant TB Control and Mgt Action Plan.pdf - Elephant Care ...

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Nepal Elephant Tuberculosis Control andManagement Action Plan (2011-2015)3. Prevenng untested elephants fromentering NepalPreven!ng infected elephants from enteringNepal is one of the most effec!ve methodsto control TB. The prac!ce of obtainingelephants from outside Nepal is stronglydiscouraged. All elephants that do enterNepal must have cer!ficate of a nonreac!veElephantTB Stat-Pak ® test performedwithin the previous 30 days by a licensedveterinarian. Wri$en documenta!on mustinclude the elephant’s name; age; sex;owner’s name and contact informa!on;veterinarian’s name and contact informa!on;and test results. A photograph of the testlabeled with the elephant’s name and dateof the test must be included. The TB PlanVeterinarian will have the authority to retest(if tested previously) elephants to verifytest results upon arrival in Nepal.TB Plan Veterinary Officer will be availableto travel with private owners planning toprocure new elephants. The private ownerwill bear the cost of tes!ng and travelexpenses for TB Plan Veterinarian. TB PlanVeterinarian will have the authority totest elephants that enter Nepal untestedimmediately and independently. ElephantTB Stat-Pak ® reac!ve elephants must leaveNepal. All new elephants must be microchippedfor iden!fica!on.4. Elephant eventsAll elephants par!cipa!ng in events such aselephant races or polo must have cer!ficateof a current non-reac!ve Elephant TB Stat-Pak® test or comple!on of prophylac!ctreatment (including post-treatment tes!ngas described under Post-Treatment Policy insec!on 1.5).5. SegregaonAll elephants that are reac!ve on theElephant TB Stat-Pak® and DPP ® VetTBtests will be segregated to prevent poten!altransmission of TB to other elephants,humans, or wildlife according to segrega!onguidelines given in segrega!on procedures.6. TreatmentElephants will be treated for TB as prescribedabove in Sec!on 1.5 using the same drugsshown to be effec!ve for humans. Elephantsare treated for a longer period of !me as ameasure of safety as there is s!ll much thatis unknown about TB in this species.7. Grazing praccesEfforts will be made to prevent elephantsfrom grazing in close proximity to cap!veca$le or buffalo to minimize the risk of TBtransmission.8. Dung disposalThe current prac!ce of burning elephantdung in close proximity to elephantstables will be discon!nued, as smoke is arespiratory irritant and adversely affects thefunc!on of the lungs of both the elephantsand their handlers. A prac!cal mechanismwill be developed and implemented for dungburning at a sufficient distance to preventsmoke from reaching the elephants and theircaretakers or alterna!ve methods of dungdisposal will be ins!tuted.9. One Health working groupEstablish a One Health Nepal working groupwith local wildlife, medical and veterinary19
Nepal Elephant Tuberculosis ulosisControl andManagement agemenAction Plan (2011-2015)2015)authories and clinicians to devise acomprehensive plan to idenfy pockets ofinfecon and control or eradicate TB fromthe local environment.10. Human TB screeningHumans are a potenal source of TBfor elephants. Handlers and other staffmembers working in close proximity toelephants will be TB tested annually. Newemployees will be tested before beginningwork. The TB posive staff members willnot be allowed to handle or care for theelephants unl they have completed fourweeks of DOTS treatment. Medicaon will bestarted as soon as the person is diagnosedTB posive.11. Cap!ve elephant postmortem examina!onAll capve elephants that die will receive acomprehensive postmortem examinaonconducted by the TB Plan Veterinarian.Nepal elephant postmortem protocolworksheet is given in Appendix III.12. MonitoringThe feeding, working, and grazing of TBposive elephants will be closely monitoredby the owner and the TB Plan veterinaryofficer.13. Adop!on of animal welfare codeThe five freedom codes of animal welfarewill be always taken into consideraon. Thefive freedoms are:i. Freedom from hunger and thirstii.iii.Freedom from thermal and physicaldiscomfortFreedom from injury and diseaseiv.Freedom to express most normalpa$erns of behaviourv. Freedom from fear and distressIssue II: Risk of transmission of TB fromcap!ve to wild popula!on of elephants,rhino and other wildlife speciesStrategy: Control TB among capve elephantsand instute pracces to prevent contactbetween capve TB-suspect or infected elephantsand wildlife species.Program Ac!vi!es1. Segregate and treat infected elephantsAll infected elephants will be segregated andtreated as per guidelines described underIssue I.2. Prevent contactAll possible measures will be applied toprevent the contact between capve TBsuspector infected elephants and freeranging wildlife species. Use electric fencesor other praccal methods to preventcontact between capve TB-suspect orinfected elephants and free ranging wildelephants, rhinos and other large as well asmedium sized ungulates. Capve TB-suspector infected elephants will be restricted tospecified grazing areas. The segregaonplan should be approved by the TB Planveterinary officer.3. Educate handlersA regular TB control and managementeducaon program will be launched amongelephant handlers, caretakers and theirfamily members. For this, a praccal guidehighlighng the causes of TB, symptoms,20
Page 1: Nepal Elephant TuberculosisControl
Page 4: Copyright © and Published By:Gover
Page 11 and 12: SummaryThe Nepal Elephant Tuberculo
Page 13: AbbreviationsAREASBCCBZBZMCCNPCVLDL
Page 16 and 17: Mul angen print immunoassay (MAPIA)
Page 18 and 19: Part ITB Management
Page 20 and 21: Nepal Elephant Tuberculosis Control
Page 34 and 35: Part IIAction Plan
Page 48 and 49: Appendices

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