Two dead deer have tested positive for rabies. The last death was reported earlier this week.
They had been among herds of deer in the Homagama and Athurugiriya areas in the western province.
A source from the Department of Wildlife Conservation said they are considering it a public health issue. ‘A coordination group which includes the DWC and central and local level health authorities has been set up to monitor developments’.
According to this source there had been 11 deer deaths in recent weeks. Although all had not been tested for rabies, the source said it is reasonable to assume that the other deer too would have died of it.
The gene material of the dead deer will be sent for testing to identify the source of transmission.
The deer could have been infected through domestic animals like dogs and wild animals such as jackals and fishing cats.
Since the detection, dogs within a 1 km radius of the herds have been vaccinated for rabies.
The source said the risk of rabies transmission from deer to carnivores is higher than from deer to humans. In 2020, there was an alert about rabid jackals in the Horana area following attacks on people and several deaths.
The origin of these herds can be traced back to deer which were reared years ago by a private individual and at the Panagodaarmy camp.