MARGAO
Mystery shrouds the deaths of pigs in the Maina area of Curtorim village with the post-mortem examination reports ruling out the deaths due to poisoning.
Given the situation, the veterinary officials have collected samples of the pigs which will now be sent outside the State, either Pune or Hyderabad, for testing.
Around 20-plus pigs have been found dead at Maina Curtorim over the last few days, creating a scare in the locality and a nuisance for the residents.
After the matter was reported to the Veterinary hospital at Sonsodo by social worker Joaquim Estebeiro on Tuesday, hospital in-charge, Dr Satyawan Naik ordered a post-mortem of one of the pigs found dead in the area.
Dr Satyawan brought a team of experts from Panaji to collect samples of the dead pigs and also the live pigs to conduct further investigations into the cause behind the death of the 21 pigs.
“Right now, I cannot say anything on the cause of death of the pigs. The matter is under investigation. Our team has collected samples of the pigs, which have been taken to Panjim and will be sent either to Pune or Hyderabad,” Dr Satyawan said.
When asked whether the pigs were plagued by any disease, resulting in their death, he said testing of the samples will shed light on the cause of the death.
He, however, pointed out that the post-mortem report has revealed that the death of the pigs is not a result of poisoning, only raising questions over the death of the 21 pigs.
To another question, Dr Satyawan said that since the pigs were all buried and created, the team could not conduct a post-mortem on all the pigs.
While the deaths have posed a nuisance to the locals, with the carcasses emitting a foul odour, the owner had suspected foul play, a factor which has now been ruled out by the officials.
The incident came to light after residents led by former Margao Municipal chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, who is putting up at Maina, brought the matter to the notice of Joaquim Estibeiro, who took up the matter with the panchayat, Health and the Veterinary hospital at Sonsodo.
