With African Swine Fever taking a heavy toll in piggeries across the state, the Kaziranga National Park authorities have swung into action to contain the fever from infecting its wild pig population.
A veterinary doctor of KNP has also been suspended in this connection.
KNP authorities are digging 2 kilometres long, six feet deep trench inside the Agarstoli range to keep out the intrusion of domestic pigs from the nearby villages.
Assam agriculture minister Atul Bora, who was at the Park to oversee the measures, said that a veterinary doctor of the Park Deba Mohan Saikia was suspended on grounds of negligence as he often remained absent from work.
“This is something untenable on the part of the veterinary doctor at a crises time like this, “he said.
Bora said that the Park had an 18000 odd wild pig population and the Agaratoli range was at risk as it was adjoining several villages populated mostly by the Mising community who habitually rear pigs for food and livelihood.
The minister said that the trench would keep out the domestic pig population as well as humans from intruding into the range and keep the wild boars safe.
Humans, he said, who came into contact with infected pigs were at risk of becoming carriers though it was not deadly to them
He further informed that so far 13033 pigs have died of African Swine Fever across the state.
“This is for the first time that the ASF has infected pigs in Assam,” Bora said.
“Initially it was thought to be the classical swine fever but in January it was detected to be the ASF after a sample tested positive,” the minister further said.
“By February it had spread over several districts in Assam. There is no vaccine or medicine for ASF,” Bora further said.