Another gaur found dead in Kui Buri National Park

[Lite Beer]

Another gaur found dead in Kui Buri National Park
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- A veterinarian, local police and related officials will today check the carcass of a female gaur, found in Kui Buri National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan on Friday, to try to determine the cause of death, park chief Prawatsat Chanthep said.

The nine-year-old gaur had apparently been dead for at least two weeks before being discovered, and with the carcass in one piece, authorities don't believe it was the victim of poaching.

This latest death at the park comes after 25 other rare gaurs were mysteriously found dead late last year.

Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said he had instructed DNP veterinarians to conduct an autopsy and collect samples for lab tests in order to determine the cause of death. He said the park had previously reported that five gaurs in the area had developed symptoms of ill health.

Kui Buri district chief Pongpan Wichiensamut said a team of forest patrol officials would be dispatched today to look for more carcasses as the area stank of rotting flesh.

-- The Nation 2014-05-04

[Tokay]

Life does die from time to time. That's how it works.

[noitom]

The 26th dead gaur since last year and the Thais still can't figure out cause of death after the first 25.

[JoeThePoster]

Zoocide?

[samuijimmy]

Had to look this up, never heard of before....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaur

[NongKhaiKid]

i'm sure none of the deaths will be attributed to poaching as that might suggest park officials weren't doing their job properly and worse, shock horror, may have links to the poachers.

[Charlie1]

Hand foot mouth disease. I was told two months ago by a scientific, whose name I cannot post here. This person is responsible countrywide for wildlife in Thailand. It's also not a coincidence that the Kaeng Krachan and Kui Buri area are known to be a milk production area (many cows). Why the authorities don't go public with this knowledge... I don't know.

[Charlie1]

i'm sure none of the deaths will be attributed to poaching as that might suggest park officials weren't doing their job properly and worse, shock horror, may have links to the poachers.

Poachers wouldn't leave the dead animals behind, but take them with them to trade whatever they're getting money for. As there have been found untouched dead animals, their cause of death must be anything else than poaching. I'm not saying there are no poachers at all, unluckily, there are way too many...

[NongKhaiKid]

Hand foot mouth disease. I was told two months ago by a scientific, whose name I cannot post here. This person is responsible countrywide for wildlife in Thailand. It's also not a coincidence that the Kaeng Krachan and Kui Buri area are known to be a milk production area (many cows). Why the authorities don't go public with this knowledge... I don't know.

Years back when the bird flu was rife the authorities denied it's existence for a month to protect the chicken export industry.

A then cabinet minister, Newin, said anyone who claimed Thailand had bird flu was unpatriotic.

[noitom]

The Gaur used to thrive in Thailand. Plunder of trees, forests, source of minerals and nutrients led to their dying out - shortage of food. Plus poachers and wildlife traders killed them off. Probably the few that are left are running out of nutrients in their natural ecosystem and succumb to disease. Since they are on the red list of endangered species, you would expect the Thais to seek discovery of their cause of death and publish a scientific report for the benefit of people. Especially after 26 such "mysterious" deaths in the last year.

[rreddin]

The Gaur used to thrive in Thailand. Plunder of trees, forests, source of minerals and nutrients led to their dying out - shortage of food. Plus poachers and wildlife traders killed them off. Probably the few that are left are running out of nutrients in their natural ecosystem and succumb to disease. Since they are on the red list of endangered species, you would expect the Thais to seek discovery of their cause of death and publish a scientific report for the benefit of people. Especially after 26 such "mysterious" deaths in the last year.

See post #7. If what is said in that post is true, do you think the Thai authorities would make a public statement?

[Charlie1]

Here's what I'va found after 2 minutes on google:

Cited from Thaipbs:

Foot and mouth disease virus has been found in the samples of carcasses of several gaur which died mysteriously in Kui Buri national park in Prachuab Khiri Khan last December.

Mr Nipon Chotibarn, deputy director-general of the National Parks and Wildlife Department, said today (Friday) that he had received a report of laboratorial tests from the Veterinary Faculty of Mahidol University which showed that FMD virus were found in the samples of several dead gaur.

The lab tests result was to be discussed at a probe committee comprising representatives from the Livestock Department, the National Parks and Wildlife Department and the Veterinary Faculty of Mahidol University today. A press conference is due on next Tuesday March 11.

Mr Nipon admitted that his department was earlier reluctant to blame the mysterious deaths of 24 gaur last December on FMD because there has never been such a case involving a wild animal.

He said that several dead gaur in India were found to be infected with FMD and he suspected that the gaur at Kui Buri national park might have contracted the disease from domesticated animals near the park.

Nevertheless, he said that the park will remain closed to outsiders indefinitely.

Tags: foot and mouth disease, gaur, Kui Buri national park, laboratorial tests, Veterinary Faculty of Mahidol University.

[The Deerhunter]

Yes and it would be unpatriotic to admit that wild gaur have caught FMD from local domestic cattle. How good is that milk pasteurisation?

[marko kok prong]

I wonder how many of the animals are now left,as this seems a large number of deaths.

[stickylies]

@charlie: thx for the heads up.

[Charlie1]

@charlie: thx for the heads up.

Never mind...

[wilcopops]

i'm sure none of the deaths will be attributed to poaching as that might suggest park officials weren't doing their job properly and worse, shock horror, may have links to the poachers.

Poachers wouldn't leave the dead animals behind, but take them with them to trade whatever they're getting money for. As there have been found untouched dead animals, their cause of death must be anything else than poaching. I'm not saying there are no poachers at all, unluckily, there are way too many...

unless they succumbed to poisons left for other animals?

....or F&M?

[wilcopops]

Yes and it would be unpatriotic to admit that wild gaur have caught FMD from local domestic cattle. How good is that milk pasteurisation?

I'm unaware of any connection between FMD and Pasteurisation.....what do you see as the problem?

[wilcopops]

i'm sure none of the deaths will be attributed to poaching as that might suggest park officials weren't doing their job properly and worse, shock horror, may have links to the poachers.

Poachers wouldn't leave the dead animals behind, but take them with them to trade whatever they're getting money for. As there have been found untouched dead animals, their cause of death must be anything else than poaching. I'm not saying there are no poachers at all, unluckily, there are way too many...

unless they succumbed to poisons left for other animals?

....or F&M?

FMD is not necessarily fatal either.

[seabass69]

There's been an epidemic of Foot in Mouth disease for years in this country.

[wilcopops]

There's been an epidemic of Foot in Mouth disease for years in this country.

Do you mean epidemic or endemic? Many countries have a policy of "allowing" FMD as it is impossible to eradicate it so they tend to isolate rather than obliterate.