Owners abandoning cows infected with LSD on roads

Gurbaxpuri

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Tarn Taran, August 17

Animals infected with lumpy skin disease (LSD), especially cows, are seen roaming on roads in the district. The animals have been abandoned by their owners, while the district administration seems to have turned a blind eye towards it.

A number of villagers said as the treatment against this skin disease was very costly and takes long, owners of the infected animals prefer to abandon them than to get the animal treated.

Very Few jabbed

The state govt and the Animal Husbandry Dept have failed to resolve the lumpy skin problem as very few animals have been vaccinated against the disease. —Daljit Singh Dialpur, Farm leader

6,500 given vaccine

A total of 30 animals have died of the disease in the district and 2,333 are infected with LSD. There is 1 lakh head of cattle and 6,500 have been vaccinated. —Dr RP Singh, Dy director, Animal husbandry dept

The tally of such animals has increased to over 30 in the past two days.

The infected animals are causing threat other animals and will spread the disease faster and the stray animals may also lead to road accidents, causing inconvenience to commuters.

Deputy Commissioner Monish Kumar said, “I still have to collect the information from the SDM in this regard.”

Reports of abandoned animals were received from different parts of the district, including Patti, Bhikhiwind and Khadoor Sahib.

Farm leader Daljit Singh Dialpur said the state government and the Animal Husbandry Department had failed to resolve the lumpy skin problem as a very few animals had been vaccinated against the disease.

Dr RP Singh, deputy director of the department, said 130 animals had died of the disease in the district and there were 2,333 animals infected with lumpy skin disease. There were a total of one lakh head of cattle in the district and 6,500 had been vaccinated against the disease as a precautionary measure.

The department is facing shortage of veterinary doctors and other related staff.