Mass deaths of livestock and poultry in poor border commune

(Baonghean.vn) - A series of buffaloes and cows died in a short period of time due to septicemia, causing the border commune of Bac Ly (Ky Son, Nghe An) to be devastated. In addition, hundreds of pigs and chickens also died from this disease.

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Phia Kham 2 village, Bac Ly commune (Ky Son) where an epidemic of anthrax in cattle is taking place. Photo: Ho Phuong.

According to the investigation of Nghe An Newspaper reporter, in Phia Kham 2 village, Bac Ly commune (Ky Son), as of the afternoon of February 2, 2017, there were 5 dead buffaloes and cows. Mr. Luong Van Thu in this village said that his family had only one dead cow. Four days before, Mr. Thu went to the cattle grazing area of ​​the whole village and discovered that one of the cows in the herd was sick and foaming at the mouth. After that, the family asked the village veterinarian to treat it but it was too late. The cow died shortly after. The family butchered the dead cow and divided it among many households in the village.

Also in Phia Kham 2 village, Mr. Luong Van Thanh's family had 1 buffalo and 1 cow out of a total herd of 8 that died. In the village, Mr. Cut Pho Nhi's family also lost 2 cows. Mr. Thanh said that the commune's veterinary department had previously organized vaccinations, but his buffalo and cows still got sick.

Many pig and cow pens in Phia Kham 2 village are empty due to the epidemic. Photo by Huu Vi.

Locals said that the phenomenon of sick cattle and buffaloes occurred after Tet. However, the people here do not know what disease the cattle and buffaloes have. People still slaughter dead cattle and eat them as usual. Some families even dry them in the kitchen attic.

Also in Phia Kham 2 village, according to local people, before the Dinh Dau New Year, the pigs in the village began to get sick and die in large numbers. Mr. Hung Van Khanh, Head of the Front Committee of Phia Kham 2 village, said: "2/3 of the pigs in the village have died. My family alone had 25 pigs die."

The Bac Ly commune authorities requested that the local people take their cattle from the grazing area to monitor the disease progression. Photo: Huu Vi.

Mr. Hung also added that he had previously borrowed money from the bank to buy pigs to raise for economic development. However, the outbreak of the disease left his family almost penniless. Apart from pigs and cows, Phia Kham 2 village today is almost devoid of rooster crowing because there are no chickens left.

In Phia Kham 1 village, bordering Phia Kham 2, the village had 7 dead buffaloes and cows. There was also a phenomenon of mass deaths of pigs and chickens.

Information from the People's Committee of Bac Ly Commune (Ky Son): Currently, the commune has an outbreak of septicemia in 3 villages, namely Phia Kham 1, Phia Kham 2 and Huoi Cang 1, causing dozens of buffaloes and cows to die. The phenomenon of chickens and pigs dying due to the disease is occurring in 5 villages, namely Phia Kham 1, Phia Kham 2, Huoi Cang 1, Huoi Cang 2 and Buoc village. All livestock and poultry in the commune have septicemia.

Of the more than 10 pigs of Mr. Luong Van Thu's family, there are now only 3 sick pigs left in the pen. Photo by Ho Phuong.

Local people said that this season change creates favorable conditions for disease outbreaks and development. The commune veterinary department has taken measures to prevent the disease but cannot completely eradicate it. Mr. Cut Van May - Vice Chairman of Bac Ly Commune People's Committee said that to prevent the disease, before Tet, the commune government organized vaccinations for people on livestock, mainly buffaloes and cows. However, not many people have brought their buffaloes and cows to get vaccinated. Part of the reason is that most buffaloes and cows are free-range in the forest, and part is that many people think that vaccination is "not important" so they do not pay attention to this.

"The commune has reported the situation to the district veterinary department to ask for a solution to the problem, to avoid the spread of disease among the livestock and poultry of the whole commune," Mr. Cut Van May added.

Huu Vi - Ho Phuong