481 teams in field to save livestock in Punjab

Punjab Animal Husbandry Department’s 481 teams have been working relentlessly in flood-affected areas to ensure the care and well-being of livestock, according to an official statement.

Each team has four members comprising a veterinary officer, a veterinary inspector or a pharmacist and a Class IV employee, said S Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries.

Highlighting the devastating effects of the deluge, Khudian said 504 cattle, 73 sheep and goats and 160 pigs had perished across 14 districts, including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Barnala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran, Patiala, Jalandhar, Rupnagar and Moga.

Additionally, 18,304 poultry birds died in Gurdaspur, Rupnagar and Fazilka due to the collapse of poultry sheds.

He said around 2.52 lakhs animals and 5,88,685 poultry birds were affected by the floods.

Underlining the key relief efforts being carried out by the Animal Husbandry department, he said that 481 teams have been deployed to provide treatment and arrange medicines for affected livestock. To date, 22,534 animals have received treatment.

Additionally, control rooms have been established at both the state headquarters and district-level offices to coordinate relief efforts and respond to emergencies. He urged the public to cooperate with relief efforts and report animal distress to the dedicated control rooms.

He further said that the department had distributed relief supplies, including over 12,170 quintal feed and 5090.35 quintal green fodder, dry fodder and silage, to support livestock in flood-affected districts, in collaboration with the district administration and social organisations.