ALGAL BLOOM CAUSES ACUTE TOXICITY AND MORTALITY IN SAMBAR DEER (RUSA UNICOLOR) AT WILDLIFE BREEDING PARK, JALLO-LAHORE, PAKISTAN.

Cyanobacteria toxicosis was diagnosed in an enclosure of sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) in Wildlife Breeding Park, Jallo-Zoo, Lahore, Pakistan. Microscopic examination of pond water and feces from inside of the deer enclosure revealed Microcystis aeruginosa. Clinical findings in seven sambar deer included muscle tremors, dysentery, melena, and enteritis. Necropsy findings revealed froth in trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles (indicative of pulmonary edema) in five of the seven deer. The liver was congested and firm in consistency, and its margins were round. Healed ulcers were found on the tongue and dental pad in one of the dead sambar deer. Linear hemorrhages, mild congestion, and ulceration at the junction of abomasum and duodenum and multifocal poorly demarcated ulcers in duodenal mucosa were noted in five deer. In the large intestine, there was acute diffuse fibrino-hemorrhagic enteritis in four infected carcasses. Isolation and identification tests of the liver and intestine were negative for Clostridium spp. Mouse bioassay revealed mortality, intestinal hemorrhages, and hepatitis. Peracute mortality of seven sambar deer by consuming algae-contaminated water in a breeding herd is a major concern in zoo enclosures in Pakistan.