Sri Lanka risks loss of entire wild boar population

Sri Lanka faces the risk of its entire wild boar population being wiped out because of African swine fever that has already killed around 100 of them as observed by the wildlife authorities, an official said yesterday.

The disease has already caused huge damage to the pork industry. Dr. Tharaka Prasad, Director – Wildlife Health at the Department of Wildlife Conservation told Daily Mirror that wild boar deaths caused by this disease were observed mainly in Block 1 of the Yala National Park and urban wildlife areas such as Gampaha, Meerigama, Peradeniya and Monaragala.

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Influenza viruses that commonly circulate in swine are called “swine influenza viruses”.

Dr. Prasad said the mortality rate of this disease is 100 percent and therefore even the country faces the risk of the entire wild boar population being wiped out.

“We got reports about wild boar deaths. Then, we collected samples and tested them. We found both swine flu and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The last one is not that dangerous because its mortality rate is low. Swine fever is totally fatal for the animals of the porcine family. It is highly contagious ,” he said.

He said the number of wild boar deaths remained uncountable at the moment.

“It is not a small issue,” he said.

The Sri Lankan wild boar is a subspecies of the Indian wild boar, slightly smaller with a distinctive crest of hair along its back. Its population is high in the wild. It is also not a protected species.