Canine distemper virus or Carnivore distemper virus? A case of fatal infection in Amur leopard in Russian wilderness

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection in Amur leopard (Panthera pardus)

A camera-trap image of an Amur leopard in the Russian wilderness.
Photo source: www.altaconservation.org

A first case of fatal CDV infection in a wild Amur leopard (subspecies, Panthera pardus orientalis) was diagnosed based on detection of the viral DNA sequences in brain tissue of the deceased leopard. The case was diagnosed in a female leopard of approximately 2 yr old in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai during May 2015. It was found close to a road that runs through the Land of the Leopard National Park in Khasanskii district. Upon initial approach, the leopard was showing a lack of fear toward people and vehicles, and quite unconcerned about its surroundings. It was then tranquilized and taken to Alekseevka PRNCO “Tiger Center” for medical attention. Despite continuous medical care and support for more than 2 weeks, its conditions kept on deteriorating and ultimately euthanasia was performed for ethical motive.

A team of scientists at Wildlife Conservation Society, Cornell University and other organizations from Russia, USA and UK jointly led a scientific investigation on the case. The investigation detected clinical symptoms and signs in the brain tissue of the deceased animal which was consistent with advanced neurologic disorder associated with CDV infection. A phylogenetic analysis was performed to study inter-relationship between the leopard CDV strain and those from other regions, which showed that the CDV strain from leopard fell within Arctic-like clade, which also included those from Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the Russian Far East and Baikal seals (Phoca sibirica) from Lake Baikal in the southern Siberia.

Phylogenetic tree showing CDV strain from Amur leopard (in arrow) is closely related to Arctic-like clade

that also include strains from Amur tigers and Baikal seals.

Image source: Sulikhan & Gilbert et al. 2017.

Typically, the symptoms of CDV infection in dogs include upper respiratory disease with or without systemic signs such as pyrexia, dermatitis, hyperkeratosis or enteritis. Neurologic signs often follow but are not usually present in all cases. In contrast, the present case in leopard exhibited severe neurologic disease with no any symptoms associated to respiratory or systemic disease. The genetic amplicons of the virus were detected only in brain tissue but not in lung tissue. Scientists thus warrant investigation on pathogenesis of CDV in wild felids having potential important epidemiologic implications.

Amur leopards are the most critically endangered subspecies of leopard, with approximately 60 to 80 individuals left in the wild. CDV infections are normally short-lasting and require spillover quite often to maintain viable circulation in a population. The leopard population being too small, the scientists suggest that the spillover could be occurring from other domestic or wild carnivores such as dogs, raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), sable (Martes zibellina) and Asian badgers (Meles leucurus) that are more abundant in Primorskii Krai.

The research article has been published on August 25th, 2017 in the online issue of Journal of Wildlife Diseases, Vol. 54, No. 1, January 2018.

Link: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/doi/abs/10.7589/2017-03-065

If you haven't already watched this wonderful photo story from Emmanuel Rondeau
Link: http://www.emmanuelrondeau.com/photographic-stories/far-eastern-leopard-russia

Living with Leopards

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Call of the leopard

When the night falls, the phantom calls !

A small greenery cover on fringes of a suburb of Kathmandu valley, surrounded by agricultural farmlands and moderate sub-urban and rural settlements, where there is frequent movements of local people for their daily livelihood activities (agriculture) as well as attended on regular basis by internal & external tourists for recreational purposes like bird watching, hiking, mountain biking etc., is also frequented by an invincible resident, a leopard. The leopard frequently spray marks urine and scratches on trunk of a tall Schima wallichi (Nepali: chilaune) tree, which is the usual behavior of leopards for territory marking and identification. Local people knows about its presence and they hear it calling/growling every night, while few have even sighted in daylights. According to them, the leopard prowls in the cover of darkness to take stray dogs, which has become their urban prey as their natural prey (barking deer, wild boar, monkeys etc.) are believed to be depleting due to habitat encroachment, fragmentation and illegal hunting [SMCRF 2015]. The leopard thrives despite the change in their habitat unlike their food by changing their menu [Athreya et al. 2014]. As scientifically as its known, leopards cannot change its spots, but it does can change its behavior for it is the most adaptable and versatile of all the great cats.

Spatial location of the tree with scratch mark. [Google Earth Pro v7.1.5]

This is the scenario which is very common today in most of the leopards' global range around the globe, so are the cases in many parts of Nepal too. The coexistence only remains to be one until there is, but not limited to, a conflict. The dynamics of their behavior is just so dynamic across their range, habitat, regions, areas, and individuals. The same species have made far-west Nepal [Karki & Rawat 2014] and bordering Uttarakhand of India [Sondhi et al. 2016] a most probable global hotspot of human-leopard conflict making lives difficult at both the ends. Yet they are equally proving that they can coexist alongside human settlements as urban as Kathmandu valley which is one of the most fastest urbanizing cities in South Asia [WorldBank 2012].

But its just like a matter of the string where the tension is gradually building up. This is a high time for us to give enough attention towards these charismatic spotted big cat to understand their behavior, their ecology, their situation! Maybe the leopard is calling for sake of their plight being unheard of! Maybe they are trying to signal us through their spiritual power, for they are the part of the forest deity, Ban devi, the goddess of the jungle. The forests are there because they are there.

May the people living with leopards always be bestowed with the eternal blessings of the Ban devi for generations and generations to come as have been since the dawn of the time.

P.S. Coming soon is an artwork expressing spiritual connections of people living with leopards under the blessings of Ban devi!

Cited articles:
Athreya V. et al. (2014). A cat among the dogs: leopard Panthera pardus diet in a human-dominated landscape in western Maharashtra, India. Oryx.
Karki JB & Rawat GS. (2014). Human leopard conflict in Nepal: A case study from Baitadi district of Nepal. DNPWC Special Issue-2071.
Sondhi S, Athreya V. et al. (2016). Human attacks by leopards in Uttarakhand, India: an assessment based on perceptions of affected people and stakeholders. A technical report submitted to the Uttarakhand Forest Department.
SMCRF (2015). Biodiversity survey of Chandragiri Hill, Kathmandu, Nepal. Small Mammals Conservation and Research Fund.
WorldBank (2012). Urban Growth and Spatial Transition in Nepal: An Initial Assessment.

PHOTOS:

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