Foot and mouth disease kills over 150 gayals
Monday, 28 September 2009
RANGAMATI, Sept 27 (BSS): At least 150 gayals died of foot and mouth disease in one month at the remote village of Bara Thalipara under Belaichhari Upazila of the district making hundreds of villagers destitutes.
Home to about 500 families, Bara Thalipara, a remote village, 250 km south-east of the district headquarters and 150 km north of Bandarbans many villagers depend more on rearing gayals, gigantic wild cows, for a living.
Besides shifting cultivation, for a living they domesticate and rear gayals.
A grown up gayal fetches a farmer between Tk 85,000 and Tk 100,000, while a younger one below seven, between Tk 45,000 and Tk 60,000, in the cattle market, especially at the time of Eid-ul-Azha, said local people.
They said that more than 100 families of this hamlet earn their livelihood by rearing gayals.
Foot and mouth disease, called 'khura rog' in Bangladesh, spread in the area a month back, said Jacob Tripura, member of Ward-9 under the Parua Upazila Parishad under Belaichhari.
Jacob said that despite treatment by veterinary surgeon at the Bandarban Veterinary Hospital, gayals were dying everyday.
Rangamati Sadar Upazila livestock officer Amar Jyoti Chakma said that while it would be difficult to save the infected gayal calves, the adults could be cured given proper timely treatment.
Jacob took five affected villagers to Rangamati to sensitize the district administration about the cattle epidemic.
Without prompt intervention from the government's Animal Husbandry Department, local people fear, Bara Thalipara would lose all its gayals.
The district livestock officer, Bidhan Chandra Biswas, said he was not aware of spread of the disease in the village.
But, he said, he would convey the matter to the higher authorities.
Home to about 500 families, Bara Thalipara, a remote village, 250 km south-east of the district headquarters and 150 km north of Bandarbans many villagers depend more on rearing gayals, gigantic wild cows, for a living.
Besides shifting cultivation, for a living they domesticate and rear gayals.
A grown up gayal fetches a farmer between Tk 85,000 and Tk 100,000, while a younger one below seven, between Tk 45,000 and Tk 60,000, in the cattle market, especially at the time of Eid-ul-Azha, said local people.
They said that more than 100 families of this hamlet earn their livelihood by rearing gayals.
Foot and mouth disease, called 'khura rog' in Bangladesh, spread in the area a month back, said Jacob Tripura, member of Ward-9 under the Parua Upazila Parishad under Belaichhari.
Jacob said that despite treatment by veterinary surgeon at the Bandarban Veterinary Hospital, gayals were dying everyday.
Rangamati Sadar Upazila livestock officer Amar Jyoti Chakma said that while it would be difficult to save the infected gayal calves, the adults could be cured given proper timely treatment.
Jacob took five affected villagers to Rangamati to sensitize the district administration about the cattle epidemic.
Without prompt intervention from the government's Animal Husbandry Department, local people fear, Bara Thalipara would lose all its gayals.
The district livestock officer, Bidhan Chandra Biswas, said he was not aware of spread of the disease in the village.
But, he said, he would convey the matter to the higher authorities.