The authorities raided a private farm in Malir district on Wednesday night, and found five dead sheep among a herd of 3,000 being kept secretly, a private TV channel reported.
According to Geo News, the dead sheep were bleeding in their mouths, and belonged to the batch of 21,000 infected sheep purchased by a Pakistani importer from an Australian vessel, which was stranded in the Arabian Sea after Bahrain refused to accept the consignment on suspicions of a viral infection commonly known as Scabby Mouth.
According to a doctor at the Sindh Livestock Department, the exact cause of sheep’s death would be ascertained in investigation. “However, from the way these sheep were bleeding from their mouth, it appears that they were sick,” he added.
The authorities had earlier received a report which alleged that an attempt was made to hide the sheep imported from Australia. A government team, acting on a tip-off, raided a compound near a private farm in Malir district and found the sheep at the facility.
According to Malir Deputy Commissioner Qazi Jan Muhammad, around 3,000 sheep were hidden away by the importer at a compound, which was sealed after recovering the sheep.
‘Stop Culling’: On the other hand, the Australian exporter of the infected sheep, which are currently being culled, has called for credible and independent inspection of the animals by international experts to determine if the allegedly infected sheep are fit for human consumption.
Stephen Meerwald, managing director of the Wellard Rural Exports (WRE), said on Wednesday that “misconceptions” in the media and other circles were “very damaging” for Australian livestock sector, and more dangerous for Pakistani meat exports that earn millions of dollars for Pakistan. He said he was optimistic that the results of independent investigations would show that the sheep were fit for human consumption, while asking internationally renowned experts, accredited with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), to carry out tests on animals to see if they were fit for human consumption. He demanded that the culling of the imported animals be stopped immediately until findings by independent experts were available.
5 dead sheep found among 3,000 illegally kept near Karachi
