Cow deaths: samples submitted to investigators

May 02, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:55 am IST - VIJAYAWADA:

Twenty six veterinary doctors have been pressed into service to monitor health condition of the ailing cows at One Town Gosala in Vijayawada.- Photo: V. Raju

Twenty six veterinary doctors have been pressed into service to monitor health condition of the ailing cows at One Town Gosala in Vijayawada.- Photo: V. Raju

The Animal Husbandry Department has submitted samples collected during the post-mortem of 11 cows which died after consuming Bombay raava in a gosala (cow shed) in One Town a couple of days ago, to the investigators, who are probing the incident.

They will, in turn, send the samples to Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) to find out the cause of death. The APFSL is likely to submit report in a month, based on which investigators will take necessary action against those responsible for the incident. In all, 17 cows died after a donor brought the rava in a goods carrier and fed it to the cattle on Wednesday.

“We have collected parts of intestines along with food materials and submitted them to the police in sealed covers,” said a senior official. A 26-member veterinary doctors’ team headed by a Deputy Director are continuously monitoring health condition of the ailing animals. The condition of two out of 62 cows that are undergoing treatment is serious, he said.

He explained cattle, sheep and goat had a separate pouch in the stomach called ‘rumen’ which contained beneficial micro organism called ruminal flora which ferment the carbohydrates immediately. When only carbohydrates (cereals in this case) were fed to the livestock the fermentation occurred fast. Gas was generated in the process and the animal becomes blotted and asphyxiation occurs.

Rapid fermentation in the rumen also leads to the generation of lactic acid leading to acidosis. The pH of the rumen which was normally alkaline becomes acidic. This further complicates matters, he said. Animal Husbandry Department Deputy Director K.V.L. Narasimha Rao confirmed that samples were submitted to the police.

They will be sent to A.P. Forensic Science Laboratory

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