Constant vigilance: Stringent checks in place on cattle entering Multan

503 trucks and pick-ups carrying animals were checked last week

MULTAN: Three check posts set up by the Livestock Department at entrances to the city checked 91,462 animals last week, removed ticks and vaccinated them, a spokesman for the district administration said on Saturday.

“Check posts were set up at Shershah, Basti Malook and Qadir Pur Raan. Veterinary doctors and para-veterinary staff, equipped with medicines, and safety kits, checked every animal entering the city,” said Livestock District Officer Sibtain Bhatti. He said 503 trucks and pick-ups carrying animals were checked.

“The activity continues round-the-clock. It will end after Eid holidays,” he said.

“Livestock Department teams inoculate animals and spray the vehicle before pasting a sticker on it. The sticker indicates that the vehicle was checked,” he said. The DLO said the process was repeated at cattle markets.

“Ticks were found on 30-40 per cent animals reaching Multan,” he said.

“Cattle traders are aware of the problem. They are now removing ticks from animals on their own before bringing them to the market,” he said.

He said the Livestock Department was a running a public awareness campaign to guide cattle farmers to wear gloves or plastic sheets while removing ticks.

He said the district government had set up cattle markets at Fatima Jinnah Town, Bahawalpur Bypass, Old Shujabad Road, Nawabpur Road, Shujabad and Fawwara Chowk. He said a cattle market had been set up by the Multan Cattle Management Company (MCMC) at Pul Balail on Shujabad Road.

“The department is providing support to them for checking and treating animals,” he said.

He said cattle buyers were being provided safety kits before they entered the markets.

“There are 786 kinds of ticks in the world. They can be categorised in two categories: hard ticks and soft ticks. Only soft ticks carry Congo Virus,” he said.

“The tick does not cause any harm to the animals except swelling around their eyes when it bites them. The virus can be fatal for humans when it is transmitted to them through blood,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2016.