Death in the hills

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) had made its way into the mountains from the plains of Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. The worst affected were the semi-domesticated mithun (Bos frontalis) that were dying out even as their owners watched helplessly. Each day, as one more animal was found dead in the forest or beside the road, another few were seen salivating profusely from the mouth as the infection spread rapidly.