African Swine fever claims wild boars in Mizoram’s Kolasib district

Several wild boars have died in Mizoram’s Kolasib district due to African Swine Fever (ASF), officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, Esther Lalzoliani, said locals in Saipum village discovered highly decomposed carcasses of wild boars in the nearby jungle earlier this month. The department dispatched a team to collect samples, which later tested positive for ASF. The findings were further confirmed by the College of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry in Selesih.

Locals reported spotting the carcasses on September 7 and September 18. Following this, Saipum village council president Lalnunsanga Pulamte announced a ban on hunting wild animals and bringing their remains into the village.

Kolasib Deputy Commissioner Robert C Lalhmangaiha on Monday issued an order prohibiting hunting and the sale of fresh or dry meat of wild animals in the district to prevent further spread of the disease.

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Mizoram has been grappling with ASF outbreaks since March 2021, when the first cases were reported in Lungsen village of Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border. Since then, 71,679 pigs have died and 52,865 others have been culled across the state, according to official data.

In July 2022, wild boar carcasses were also found in Champhai district, bordering Myanmar, with lab tests confirming ASF as the cause. This year alone, 9,378 pigs have died and 3,454 have been culled in 162 villages across eight districts.

The fresh deaths of wild boars in Kolasib highlight the continuing spread of ASF in Mizoram, posing a renewed threat to both domestic pigs and wildlife.