Livestock emergency: Vet camp set up on buffalo epidemic fears

Livestock officer suspects deaths caused by stavation, extreme weather.

BAHAWALPUR: As many as 85 cattle have been treated at a camp set up in a Cholistan village after a farmer reported death of his 50 buffaloes within a few days.

Livestock Deputy Director Dr Muhammad Sohail there had been no deaths in Toba Paandhi Wala since the camp was set up on August 6.

He said the farmers had been advised not to keep their cattle in the open and to keep them hydrated. “There is a drought in Cholistan. I suspect the cattle died of starvation and on account of extreme weather,” he said.

However, he added, the camp would continue for some weeks so that farmers could get their cattle examined everyday.

He said Head Farid veterinary officer Dr Bakhsh Ali was in charge of the camp.

“Blood samples of the cattle in the area have also been collected and sent to a laboratory for examination,” he said.

Muhammad Hamid, who says he has lost 50 buffaloes, said that most of his animal died after they were vaccinated by a veterinary doctor posted at the Livestock Centre in his village. He said the vaccines should be investigated for their expiry date and that he should be compensated for his loss.

Hamid said all 50 buffaloes had similar symptoms. “They stopped eating and drinking some days before their deaths,” he said. He said blood clots were found in the intestines of some of the buffaloes he slaughtered minutes after their death.

Some of the farmers said they had moved their cattle away from the village after Hamid’s animal starting dying.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2012.