Trekking suspended in Kudremukh National Park amid KFD scare

Chikkamagaluru: Following an outbreak of monkey fever in various parts of the state, trekking in the Kudremukh National Park, spread across Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts has been suspended since January 21. 

The precautionary move was pre-empted in the backdrop of deaths, resulting from monkey fever reported from parts of Karkala and Udupi and also due to instances of forest fires, informed the park’s Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ruthren.

Trekking will be resumed in the park, which happens to attract trekking enthusiasts in large numbers over the weekends and on holidays only after the situation has been assessed.

Apart from suspending trekking, health officials are speedily disposing of monkey carcasses found in the area to stop people from coming into contact with them. Some samples collected from the dead monkeys have tested positive for the disease, said  Ruthren.

Monkey fever or the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is transmitted to humans from monkeys through infected ticks and has been regularly surfacing in the region around it, claiming lives and causing panic among the people.