The staff and students of College of Fisheries surveyed and assessed the total loss of livestock in the recent floods in Dakshina Kannada.

The survey was undertaken following orders of the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), Bidar.

A team of 25 officials and students from the Fisheries College visited the five taluks and reported a total loss of 20 cattle, 40 goats and 1,269 poultry birds in the taluks. This loss could get magnified during the post-flood scenario due to lack of shelter, feed and increased spread of diseases.

The report recommends connectivity for immediate supply of fodder for animals, medicines, and other necessary items. Veterinary treatment kits should be supplied to all affected areas immediately after flood.

“Assistance should be provided to remove silt that has deposited at the houses, cattle sheds and farm lands. Mobile water treatment units to supply drinking water must be kept ready to serve at the affected areas,” the team report has recommended.

It also urged the authorities to work at checking the spread of diseases after water recedes. “The affected areas must be completely fumigated to eliminate the possibilities of water and vector-borne diseases. Multi-purpose permanent shelters for animals and people should be identified in elevated places in each district,” it added.

“A central fodder bank can be established at district headquarters. The government may consider leasing out land including forest lands to unemployed youth to grow fodder crops and purchase the fodder at suitable price. To address the low milk yield, malnutrition and stress in animals, the department should provide medicated and enriched diets,” the report suggested.

Due to top soil erosion, agriculture or any fallow land would have become barren.

In order to increase the fertility and availability of fodder, these lands have to be ranched with fodder seeds and grasses and sunhemp-fodder crops. These varieties grow faster and prevent further erosion while increasing the stability and fertility of soil, the report said.

One monitor lizard, fish killed

Only one monitor lizard and a fresh water fish (Peruval) were found
dead in the aftermath of floods which had wrecked havoc in Belthangady taluk, according to forest guard Rajanna.

He also suspects that hundreds of snakes, which are endemic to the Western Ghats, would have been washed away to different villages.