New ASF outbreak reported in the Tver region
A new outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has been recently discovered among wild boars on the hunting territory of Sholokhovskoe in the Tver region, according to a report by the Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor.
“Genetic material of the ASF virus was identified during a study conducted by Tver Interregional Veterinary Laboratory of samples of pathological material selected from a wild boar that had been shot in Sholokhovskoe in Rzhev area of the Tver,” the report stated.
Currently specialists from the local veterinary services of the Tver region together with Rosselkhoznadzor inspectors are carrying out a set of measures to prevent and eliminate the risk of any further ASF spread. Authorities are also trying to determine possible ways of ASF importation on to the hunting area.
Also several Russian regions are implementing a programme to reduce the number of wild boars. Such programmes have led to the number of wild boars in the Krasnodar region dropping last year by 90% from 10,000 to 1,000, while in Adygea the population of the wild boars were completely eliminated. Rosselkhoznadzor actions have already provoked protests from animal rights organisations.
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