DVMF now closely monitoring animals

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Hall’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) would work on a 24-hour basis to monitor farm animals in the upland barangays in anticipation that the unusually cold weather would continue in February.

Dr. Pilar Romero, city veterinarian, said at least five personnel from her office continuously monitor the livestock in at least 15 mountain barangays, especially that a typhoon is expected to hit Cebu.

She said she has advised farmers to build makeshift shelters or barns for their animals to protect them from the low temperature.

The extreme cold weather that pervaded Cebu the past weeks, Romero said, has weakened the animals and even caused the death of a horse in Barangay Tabunan the other day.

In fact, DVMF has listed some 89 cows, carabaos, piglets, sheep, chicks, and goats, in at least 15 mountain barangays in Cebu City that were already slaughtered by their owners since they have been weakened by the cold weather.

They are Barangays Lusaran, Adlaon, Sirao, Tagba-o, Taptap, Bonbon, Guba, Cambinocot, Paril, Budlaan, Pung-ol Sibugay, Sudlon I, Sudlon II, Sinsin, and Tabunan. Losses due to the death of the animals estimated at P1,745,800.

The damage to crops (mostly sweetcorn, eggplant, ampalaya, tomato, mango, banana, cutflower, string beans, pepper, orchids, Chinese cabbage, spring onion, lettuce, cucumber, and baguio beans) has also already reached P22.24 million.

Romero said they would also continue doing random sampling of the animals even before the cold weather weakens them to check their blood.

She said they just did random sampling on 15 animals in the upland barangays and the result showed that they had no diseases, except for a cattle in Barangay Cantipla, which developed pneumonia and die due to the cold weather.

As of yesterday, temperature in the mountain barangays was 21 degrees celcius centigrade, which was still cold and an equivalent of “using air-condition”, said Romero.

The DVMF chief said they have already given supportive medications to the affected animals and have secured supplements and vitamins for them.

She praised the farmers for immediate seeking assistance upon noticing their animals getting weak.

In connection with this, Romero said there have been no reports, so far, on double dead meat, or the meat of animals that already died before being butchered.

To recall, the Danao City Agriculture Office has also reported that P3 million worth of crops and farm animals were lost there, while Balamban said P2.9 million died due to the cold weather phenomenon. (FREEMAN)