Avoid horses everywhere, appeals administration. Glanders, a rare contagious disease that mainly affects horses, characterized by swellings below the jaw and mucous discharge from the nostrils, has hit the animal.

Since the wedding season has begun, horses are used for the traditional system of barat procession. Administration has appealed not to use horses or come in contact with horses in any way. Glanders, the contagious disease, is as devastating as swine flu.

Going ahead, administration has prohibited using the animal for any purpose. Weddings, animal fare, haat bazaar, exhibitions are not to have any horses because of this deadly disease. Grooms looking forward to ride a horse for their wedding are in for a disappointment this season. It has been brought to notice that people have still not cancelled their bookings of horses or mares for the upcoming wedding in the family. But this is for sure that the fear of this disease has taken its toll on everyone.

People are scrutinizing the conditions of the animals that they have booked since a wedding procession seems incomplete without a horse. It has also been reported that as of now the horses in lakecity are safe. The disease has not yet hit the animal here so far. Every day a horse owner spends around 300 rupees for the check-up of each of his horse.

The disease is so contagious that a horse needs to be buried in a pit that goes 10 feet under the ground after it dies. No vaccination has yet been developed to fight “Glanders”. From November 2016 until June 2017, there have been reports of 27 horses dying from this deadly disease in Udaipur region. It can also hit humans if they come in contact with any horse suffering with Glanders.

Udaipur city has around 750 horses. Average worth of each horse is 2 lakh rupees. The entire Udaipur region has almost 30000 horses. Even the police department has been warned to stay away from horses even for the night watch. Blood samples of the police horses are being sent for diagnosis.

Ganesh Mali’s horse that suffered Glanders in June is being searched by police. As per Ganesh, he sold off his horse that was worth 2 lakhs. He says that police department has injected 2 of his horses to death for the fear of this disease. He was given a compensation which was much less than the worth of his horses.