Panic as mystery disease kills 29 buffaloes, calves in Hisar village

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, January 9

Amid the extreme cold conditions in the state, death of 29 buffaloes and calves in Sarsod village of the district in the past 15 days due to a mysterious disease has created a scare among local residents.

Advisory from Indian Meteorological Dept

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• Weak and sick animals should be covered with sack-cloth to protect them from cold
• To maintain body temperature of animals giving milk, they should be fed with a mixture of oil cakes and jiggery and to ensure that essential salts are maintained, provide salt mixtures in adequate quantities along with their feed
• This is the right time to deworm the animals. If the animals have not yet been vaccinated against FMD, PPR, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, Enterotoxemia and Black Quarter ensure that this is done now

Officials, who visited the village after complaints of a mysterious disease spreading among animals, said may livestock, mostly buffaloes, have been suffering from pneumonia-like symptoms in the village. The villagers said the disease started taking toll on the animals with the onset of the cold wave about two weeks ago. “We observed that animals, mostly calves and buffalos, caught flu-like symptoms and after two-three days started trembling due to cold despite our efforts to cover the animals with warm clothes. Though we haven’t compiled the figures of death, the toll could be around 50-60 animals,” said a villager.

Animal Husbandry Department deputy director Dr Subhash Jangra said they had information about the death of 29 animals, mostly calves and buffaloes. “Preliminary reports on the basis of symptoms in the ailing animals, it seemed that the extreme cold conditions have resulted in the pneumonia-like fever among the animals that has low immunity,” he said. So far, the deaths had been reported in Sarsod village only. But the department officials had been keeping a watch on the entire district.

“I have visited the village on getting information about deaths of buffalos. A team of officials have been deployed in the village and has started administering medicines to the ailing cattle,” Jangra said, adding that they had issued specific advisory to the cattle breeders in the villages to protect the cattle from extreme cold. An official said some villagers avoid vaccination to the livestock that was necessary for boosting immunity among animals against the disease. “The cold wave is sweeping the region. The maximum temperature has remained around 10 to 12 degrees while the minimum temperature has also fallen to three to four degrees. It is very important for the cattle owners to ensure proper arrangements for their protection against cold,” the official said.