As per a few recent updates, elephants from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve have been found dead. The reason discovered is nothing but the kodo millets, which are considered as very nutritious. Let us know that how these nutrition rich cereal grain turned out to be poisonous for animals and humans.
Forest officials believe that ten elephants in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve may have died last week from kodo millet poisoning. What is this grain, though, and how did it become lethal for these elephants?
Last week, ten of the thirteen wild elephants in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh were discovered dead. What caused the unexplained deaths? At last, we have a solution.
The first plausible explanation was found on October 31. Forest officials have suspected kodo millet poisoning as the cause, while veterinarians await definitive post-mortem results.
In the Sankhani and Bakeli regions of the Khitoli range, four dead elephants were discovered on October 29, four more on October 30, and two more the next day.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Vijay N. Ambade, proposed that “mycotoxins associated with kodo millet” might be the reason.
After a high-level team that looked into the elephants’ deaths delivered its findings, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav appointed two top reserve officials. The chief minister noted that the report excluded the use of pesticides and the involvement of “another side.”
What are Kodo Millets?
The cereal grain known as kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), sometimes referred to as rice grass or cow grass, is grown and eaten extensively throughout Central India, especially on the Deccan Plateau. In addition, it is grown in Pakistan, Thailand, West Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority (APEDA), kodo millet has a high fibre content and can help treat a number of ailments, such as high blood pressure, migraines, and asthma.
A 2020 study, Nutritional, Functional Role of Kodo Millet and its Processing: A review, states that although the crop is thought to have originated in India, Madhya Pradesh produces the majority of it.
Popular foods including idli, dosa, papad, chakli, porridges, and rotis are made from kodo millet.
Why do Farmers cultivate Kodo Millets?
Kodo millet is a staple grain for many Indian tribal and economically disadvantaged tribes. According to The Indian Express, which cited studies, it is among the “hardiest crops, drought tolerant with high yield potential and excellent storage properties. Kodo millet is strong in antioxidants, gluten-free, easy to digest, rich in vitamins and minerals, and “may have anti-carcinogenic properties.”
According to a 2019 study, “dietary fibre in the seed coat of millet grains is beneficial to human health” and affects a number of metabolic processes, including cholesterol levels and glucose absorption.
High End Makeup Looks at Affordable Prices
How Kodo Millets can be Harmful for both Humans and Animals?
Animals have been known to contract kodo poisoning in the past. A 2003 study published in the “Journal of Ethnopharmacology” looked into how eating kodo millet infested with fungus affected rats, dogs, and chickens.
Kodo millet is “frequently infested with this fungus,” according to the study. In 1922, Anand Swarup, an assistant surgeon in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, published one of the first accounts of kodo millet poisoning in the “Indian Medical Gazette,” detailing four cases of acute poisoning.
Elephant deaths connected to kodo millet diet were originally reported in a 1983 publication titled “Diversity in Kodo Millet.”
Open AI ChatGPT Search Engine Lanuched – Direct Link
How do Kodo Millets become Poisonous?
The origins of kodo millet toxicity were investigated in a 2023 research paper titled “Potential Risk of Cyclopiazonic Acid Toxicity in Kodua Poisoning.”
Fungal infections are more common in millet, followed by bacterial and viral infections, which have a negative impact on grain and fodder productivity, according to the paper. Ergot is a parasitic fungal endophyte that typically grows on kodo millet but can also grow in the ear heads of other grass blades. It is frequently discovered that eating such kodo grains might result in poisoning.
“Associated with the kodo millet seeds causing kodo poisoning which was first recognised during the mid-eighties,” the report states, is cyclopsizonic acid (CPA).
According to a 2020 study in “The Pharma Innovation Journal,” cattle in the Durg area of Chhattisgarh died after ingesting kodo millet contaminated with Claviceps fungi, which also generate mycotoxins, and experiencing convulsions, lightheadedness, and limb contractions.
“It is well known that fungal-infected millet grain can produce a variety of toxins such as aflatoxin or ergot which are fatal to animals feeding on them,” Indian ecologist Raman Sukumar, who focusses in Asian elephant studies, told ThePrint. Since the middle of the 20th century, I am aware of such incidents in Tamil Nadu.
Potential Consequences of Spending Years preparing for UPSC
How Kodo Poisoning impacts Animals?
“Vomiting, dizziness, unconsciousness, rapid and weak pulse, cold extremities, limb tremors, and shaking” are some of the main symptoms of kodo poisoning. These mainly affect the neurological and cardiovascular systems.
The main toxic ingredient in kodo poisoning is cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), which has been linked in studies to myocardial damage, degeneration, necrosis, and liver malfunction. CPA damages cardiomyocytes and impairs cardiac function via interfering with calcium signalling in the heart.
Additionally, “gastrointestinal disorders in animals and can increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the intestine. It leads to inflammation and gastrointestinal damage” have been connected to CPA toxicity. Doctors treating the ailing elephants apparently noticed these indications, according to IE.
How can the Indian Education System be reformed to better prepare students for entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in emerging tech fields?
The Solutions to Kodo Poisoning
Several studies suggest biocontrol agents, which are effectively “using one organism to control another,” to combat kodo poisoning.
It has been demonstrated that some microorganisms “limit fungal growth and mycotoxin production.” Cultivating “competitive, non-toxic strains of the same fungi” is another biological management strategy that may shield areas.
In order to decrease mycotoxin levels, researchers recommend that farmers implement “good agricultural practices with effective post-harvest management. Good practices include sorting and proper storage, ideally in hermetic/airtight containers.”
Kunal Kamra v/s Bhavish Aggarwal’s Ola
Additionally, research indicates that treating the contaminated grains may “help reduce disease spread,” according to The Indian Express.
A five-person team has now been assembled by the forest department to look into the elephant deaths. The teams from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change as well as the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau are present.
Also Read: Suez Canal Authority Reaffirms Commitment to Free Passage
Govardhan Puja 2024 – Lord Krishna’s Truimph over Indra
Shubhangi Gupta is a distinguished content writer and the visionary founder of The Unpleasant – Acha Nahi Sabse Sacha. With a Master’s degree in Commerce from University of Lucknow, Shubhangi has seamlessly blended her academic background with her passion for reading and writing, embarking on a successful career as a content writer since 2019.
Great work