17 cows die of food poisoning in Bhavnagar cattle camp

Rajkot: At least 17 cows have died in panjarapole or cattle camp run by Sheth Anandji Kalyanji Chhapariyali Panjarapol Sarvajani Trust (SAKCPST), in Bhavnagar district on Tuesday evening due to food poisoning after they consumed green fodder brought from Anand district.
According to sources, the incident took place in Mota Khetar Camp of the panjrapole located in Chhapariyali village in Jesar taluka of Bhavnagar.Total 40 cows were affected of which 17 have died.
When contacted Narendra Joshi, manager of panjarapole said that the Mota Khetar camp has around 800 cattle head and they were given a truckload of green fodder maize purchased from Borsad in Anand. However, 40 cows developed complications after eating the fodder at around 3pm on Tuesday.
"A team of our veterinary doctors and veterinarians from Jesar gave immediate treatment but they could not save 17 of the affected cows," Joshi said, adding that deaths were due to food poisoning and termed it as an accident.
"The veterinarians have told us that the cows had been affected by suspected food poisoning. They told us that sheaves of the fodder at the bottom of the truck might have fermented and become toxic due to lack of ventilation. Other reasons they suspected was that pesticide might have been sprayed before the fodder was harvested. The cows which ate these sheaves developed complications and some of them died'' said an officials from SAKCPST.
The Panjrapole is among the oldest and largest cattle camps in the state and presently takes care of around 3,800 condemned or impounded cattle heads.
"Every day, we require around 62 tonnes of fodder and around 15 tonnes of it is coming from far off places like Anand. The rest is sourced locally," said an official.
"Fodder maize cultivated with less amount of irrigation or higher doses of chemical fertilizers contains nitrate. After animals consume such fodder, the nitrate may convert into amonia and nitrate. The nitrate can be very harmful for animals," said Dr Makbul Vahora, deputy director, Animal Husbandry, Bhavnagar.