19 buffaloes mysteriously die
Source: The Sangai Express
Senapati, July 26 2018:
A total of 19 buffaloes were found dead due to unknown reason at Shomai (Thingba Khunou) village, Senapati.
According to the villagers, 16 buffaloes died yesterday in the afternoon and 3 more died at night and this morning.
Some personnel from the Veterinary Department of the district have reportedly visited the village to look into the matter but the cause of the deaths was not known at the time of filing this report.
Villagers said that a herd of some 80 buffaloes belonging to more than 10 families was herded by a Nepali.
The animals were kept at a confinement in the forest after transplantation of paddies in the fields.
The herd never used to scatter from the group before.
But the herd scattered after the death of some of them, said the villagers and added that 21 buffaloes are still missing from the area.
When asked if they use any chemical, the village secretary said that use of any chemicals, hunting, forest fire, felling of trees are strictly banned in the village since the past few years.
The villagers claimed that there was no symptom of any sickness before the incident.
Chairman of the village, Tholi said the buffaloes are the most valued wealth of the villagers.
Cattle rearing has been a major source of income for many in the village.
The sudden deaths of the buffaloes have worried the owners and the villagers as a whole.
Some families have lost as many as four buffaloes and this is a great loss, he said.
The Chairman appealed the Government for immediate intervention to save the remaining animals.