Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University decides to kill infected cattle

THRISSUR: The high-power committee of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University has decided to conduct mercy killing of 84 cattle infected with Brucellosis virus at its Thiruvazhamkunnu farm in Palakkad. A meeting held at the varsity on Sunday decided to kill the animals with high doses of sedatives and bury them by consulting the officials of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

The earlier decision of the varsity officials to take the infected animals to Mannuthy for mass culling had sparked a controversy with AWBI officials raising the issue of other animals and humans getting infected by the virus. "We had two options - to cull and bury the animals in Palakkad or to carry them to Mannuthy for the same. As the board officials have raised the issue, the mass culling will be done at Thiruvazhamkunnu as per the instruction of officials of the board, and the animals will be buried at the 100-acre farm," Dr. T.P.Sethumadhavan, director (entrepreneurship) of KVASU, said.

Mr M.N. Jayachandran, honorary member of AWBI in Kerala, said that there had been lapses on the part of varsity officials in not notifying the farm in Palakkad as affected area and preventing the cattle and carcasses from being taken out of the notified area though the cattle got infected over a period of two years.