Wild animals can also get cancer
Wildlife Vets Namibia has commissioned a survey to clarify the nature and origin of unusual lesions in game such as Oryx that have been observed in Namibia recently.According to their most recent newsletter, in the past month, they asked farmers to help collect photos and samples. "We received responses from seven farmers who also observed such lesions, ranging from Outjo through Otjiwarongo to Aroab and Steindown," the vets said.
In post-mortem examinations, the vets collected samples from the animals and sent them to a Pathcare veterinary laboratory in South Africa for analysis.
“The laboratory results showed that the hard mass of the oryx consists of spindle cells. These are cancerous tumors, also known as sarcoids," the vets said.
Sarcoids are the most common skin tumors in horses, but are also found in dogs and in some wild species such as zebra, sable antelope and giraffe.
"These tumors are not usually life-threatening, but can affect animal welfare and health," the vets said.
Sarcoids are often caused by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). "We don't know if the sarcoids on this oryx were caused by BPV, which would require additional testing. While we still have much to learn about BPV, it does not appear to be contagious, meaning it cannot jump directly from animal to animal. The disease could be indirectly transmitted by flies, but research so far has only detected parts of the virus in flies, not the whole contagious virus," the vets said.
Treatment of the sarcoids is possible but depends on their extent and location. “You can remove them surgically, by tying, freezing, or by chemotherapy. Injecting a vaccine into the tumor is also possible, but many injections may be required, often making this treatment impractical.”