Extreme heat has taken a toll on the health of sheep and goats in Tiruchi district.
The rural parts of the district, particularly Musiri, Thuraiyur, Thathaiyarkarpettai, Thuraiyur, Lalguid, Perambalur, Mannachanallur and the bordering areas of Perambalur and Ariyalur districts, are known for raising sheep and goats.
In addition to small and marginal farmers, who raise two or three goats, there are farmers, who raise sheep and goats in large numbers. They usually erect ‘patti’ , a small makeshift tent, on harvested fields to accommodate sheep and goats in the night hours after taking them for grazing.
After one or two weeks, the cattle growers would move to other areas, where the grazing fields and drinking water available.
But, they had been facing enormous challenges in finding grazing fields and water bodies with water. There is hardly water in the lakes, ponds and inlet and outlet channels. The prevailing extreme hot and humid condition has turned out to be a big challenge to save the sheep and goats.
Tiruchi is registering sweltering heat since the second week of April. It hovers around 40 degree Celsius over the last few days. There were days that crossed 40 degree Celsius. The prevailing extreme heat is said to be causing stress to livestock. Though goats tend to tolerate heat better than sheep, the high level of temperature troubles them. According to farmers, on average, a sheep or goat drinks one to two gallons of water per day. It triples on hot days. However, with the waterbodies going dry, most of them could not have sufficient water, thereby resulting in weight loss and death.
“We buy 30 goats and sheep for Sunday sale. But I could not buy more than 20 this week. Moreover, most of them look weak with weight loss due to inadequate consumption of green and dry food and drinking water. Goat growers claim that heat stress has claimed the lives of many sheep and goats,” says Abdulla, a meat trader, who travels to rural areas of Tiruchi to buy sheep and goats.
The officials of animal husbandry are of the view that there is no alarming situation in the district. However, if the present extreme heat condition persist for two more weeks, the situation will turn out to be dangerous.
S. Ganapathy Maran, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, Tiruchi, told The Hindu that extreme hot weather would lead to severe stress in livestock. They would eat less and burn more energy and dehydrate quickly. Hence, instructions had been given to the cattle growers to take sheep and goats for grazing between 6 a.m and 11 a.m and after 4 p.m. They must be provided with clean water frequently. Problem might become severe if the current temperature prevailed for two more weeks.
