Bandhavgarh elephants died after eating infected kodo millet: Toxicology report | Latest news India

The study, conducted by the ICAR Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, detected cyclopiazonic acid, a toxic substance produced by some fungi, in all the samples collected from the organs of the ten elephants.

“Cyclopiazonic acid found in mold-infected kodo millet was detected in all samples of liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lung, stomach and intestinal contents at a concentration greater than 100 ppb (parts per billion) . The result indicates that elephants may have eaten large quantities of kodo,” said L. Krishnamoorthy, head of the state inquiry committee set up to probe the deaths and also chief conservator of forest (APPCF).

The elephants, part of a herd of 13, were killed between October 29 and 31 at the sanctuary in Umaria district, Madhya Pradesh. The deaths caused consternation across the country, with several people and experts expressing concern that the elephants had been poisoned.

However, toxicology excludes the presence of foreign toxic elements.

“A toxicology research report from the center for conservation and disease monitoring ICAR IVRI Bareilly found no traces of HCN (cyanide nitrate), nitrite, heavy metals or other common insecticides, such as organic phosphates, organochloroviroids or carbonates. ”

However, residents of Salkhaniya village did not promptly treat the elephants even as they cried in pain for hours. Officials denied these claims.

Experts, meanwhile, stressed that the elephants could only have been killed if they had swallowed large quantities of the harvest.

“Kodo millet has been reported to develop toxins due to fungal infections of Aspergillus and Penicillium species. There have been several cases where people and animals have been affected by kodo poisoning,” an Environment Ministry official said.

It is fair to say that there is virtually no literature relating to deaths due to kodo millet poisoning, except a letter dated March 23, 1934 from the Area Officer to the Madurai Work Plan Officer regarding the death of 13 wild elephants after consuming kodo millet had eaten. Experts say such deaths are rare.

According to a 2023 research paper led by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), CSIR, consumption of kodo millet has been found to often cause poisoning and poisoning. The grains are often contaminated with aspergillus tamarii kita, which produces a significant amount of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), which was also found in the toxicology report.

The symptoms of kodo poisoning were characterized by nausea, vomiting, delirium, depression, intoxication and unconsciousness, the paper said.

Locals around the reserve said the elephants started trumpeting at around 2am on the intervening night of October 28 and 29. However, forest officials said they were not treated until the afternoon of October 29 and that veterinary treatments started between 2pm and 4pm. said the villagers.

A local resident Manoj Singh said, “When they started crying, we initially thought this was a common phenomenon. But then their screams grew louder and lasted for hours. Later we found out that they had died.”

The government doctor of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Dr. Nitin Gupta was reportedly absent and did not arrive until 4pm on October 29, local officials said.

He said: “Doctors were called from different places and treatment started after 2pm. But the infection was so severe that six remaining elephants died during treatment.”

An officer, who is not authorized to talk to the media, said: “On October 29 around noon, many veterinarians were contacted for immediate assistance but they refused to come as they were busy at Dhanteras. One doctor was the first on the scene and started treatment.”

Wildlife expert Ajay Dubey, who is independently investigating the matter, has made the same claims. “The villagers told me that elephants were making noise, but no one in the forest paid attention. Treatment also started with a delay. Had the forest officials started treatment on time and sought help from elephant experts, they might have been saved,” he added.

Several experts said they were surprised as deaths from kodo millet poisoning are rare.

“A similar incident took place in 1933 near a tea estate in Tamil Nadu (then) where elephants died after consuming kodo suspected to be affected by fungi. We know that livestock often become ill after consuming contaminated kodo. But death is an extreme case. It should also be checked whether agricultural chemicals have been used. Kodo is a hardy crop and pesticides are generally not used,” said Soumik Banerjee, an indigenous seed conservationist and researcher. He referred to a correspondence in Indian Forester about the elephant deaths in 1933.

R. Sukumar, a senior ecologist and specialist on elephants, who also referred to the 1933 incident, said he believed it was most likely a case of natural poisoning by the mycotoxin plague of Kodo millet.

Madhya Pradesh has not been the natural habitat of wild elephants since Mughal times, he said.

“Maybe they’ve migrated in recent years, I think. We see a continued migration pattern of elephants, which started in the late 1980s, into central India from their original ranges in Jharkhand, Odisha, South Bengal and others. There are two likely reasons: first, mining may have caused habitat disturbance in the eastern states, or second, climate changes such as prolonged dry spells may also have resulted,” he added.

Oliver King, Director of Biodiversity (specialized in Kodo millet), MS Swaminathan Research Foundation based in Chennai, said, “Kodo millet has historically suffered from fungal contamination. This happens when there is a lot of moisture in the grain. It is often contaminated with Aspergillus, especially if the produce is not dried properly. If livestock eat this contaminated grain in large quantities, it can have hallucinogenic effects. But that depends entirely on the amount of contaminated products consumed. However, how consuming contaminated kodo millet can cause death now needs to be scientifically investigated,” the spokesperson said.