December 31, 2024

ASF now hits Sri Lanka's wild boar

African swine fever (ASF), which devastated Sri Lanka's pig farms especially in the country's Western province, has now spread to the island's wild boar population, with animals in forest reserves starting to die, a media report said.

Dead wild boars have been found in forested areas in Gampaha, Meerigma, Peradeniya, and Moneragala as well as the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper quoted Tharaka Prasad, director of wildlife health at the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).

DWC had tested the animals.

"We found both swine flu and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome," Prasad said. "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 there was no accurate number of the dead but mortality rate was very high, posing a serious threat to the wild boar population.

The most virulent form of the disease has mortality rates as high as 100%.

Sri Lanka faces the risk of the entire wild boar population being wiped out, he said.

Sri Lanka has seen an increase in its wild boar population over the past several decades.

- ECONOMYNEXT