CHAKWAL: Scores of cattle have died and many others are battling with an infectious disease that broke out in Murid village in Chakwal, according to a report by Dawn.
“The foot and mouth disease is infectious which sometimes emerges as fatal for animals. Animals with this disease suffer from high fever and blisters in the mouth and on hooves,” said a senior veterinary officer.
Murid is the cultural hub of Chakwal district and is known for the famous bulls that take part in Karah or Jalsa, a cultural sport. The Jalsa is supposed to be held in the village on February 21.
The villagers were excited about the upcoming event but the sudden attack of the foot and mouth disease has worried them.
The affected farmers said they kept on calling the veterinary officer but he did not pay heed to their requests.
There are also reports about cattle suffering from the same disease in other areas of the district.
A senior official of the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department told Dawn that vaccination to preempt the infectious disease was not carried out in Chakwal and Attock because both the districts were declared as control zones by the government.
The villagers on Friday also protested against the officials of the Livestock and Dairy Development Department. Carrying the carcasses of the animals on donkey carts, they blocked the Chakwal-Talagang Road.
