June 12, 2007
Nepal's government has been accused of "inaction and apathy" after it emerged that 10 out of 250 endangered elephants are suffering from tuberculosis (TB).
Officials at Chitwan National Park say government ministries have ignored requests for help to give treatment.
They warn there is a danger that TB may spread to humans and other animals.
The park in southern Nepal attracts thousands of tourists every year. The government says that the detection of TB in elephants is a new development.
"It is uncommon," Babu Ram Yadav of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife told the BBC's Sushil Sharma in Kathmandu.
He said that the TB outbreak needed to be taken seriously as the disease could spread to humans and new-born elephants.
But Mr Yadav ruled out government negligence in the upkeep of the elephants as a cause of the disease.
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