Dieoff Of Endangered Indian Crocodiles May Be Linked To Lead, Cadmium ( Damaged Immune Systems)

[hatrack]

More than 90 gharials (Gangeticus gavialis) have been reported dead in the last two months in the National Chambal Sanctuary in India for yet-to-be diagnosed reasons. The monarch of Indian rivers is under severe threat.

A team of international veterinarians and crocodile experts — on government request - is working closely with scientists from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI). Early results point to levels of heavy metals - lead and cadmium — leading to immune-suppression (or reduction in body’s ability to fight pathogens) and thereby making them susceptible to infections. Post mortems on gharials show debilitating gout affecting the animals.

Situated around the Chambal River — often claimed the cleanest river of India — the sanctuary is shared among the three Northern Indian states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and is home to numerous freshwater species.

Most of gharial mortalities have been reported in the Uttar Pradesh side of the river, near the confluence of the Chambal and the Yamuna that flows through India’s bustling capital, Delhi, and the historic city of Agra.

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/30845

[phantom power]

1. It sort of begs the question of where the cadmium and lead came from.