1,500 Pigs at Penang Farm to be Culled
Nearly 1,500 head of swine from a farm in Nibong Tebal in Malaysia will be culled after African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Jan. 5, says Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik in The Star.
The Penang Veterinary Services Department (DVS) visited the farm on Jan 5, ordering the culling to begin immediately. The traditional open-style pig farm will be demolished, and all pigs in the farm will be culled, authorities explained.
As of 2022, there were 124 pig farms in Penang with 267,348 pigs, with 64 farms in north Seberang Prai, 52 in south Seberang Prai, 4 in central Seberang Prai, and four in the island’s South-west district, with the 52 farms in south Seberang Prai district hosting 139,795 pigs, Goh told The Star.
ASF is a deadly virus that affects both feral and domestic swine. It poses no risk to humans or food safety, but is devastating to swine populations.
ASF Spreads Like ‘Wildfire’ in India
The district administration of Damoh in Madhya Pradesh has euthanized 700 pigs in the last two days amid fear of ASF in the area, news agency ANI reports.
The first animal mortality related to the disease was reported about two weeks ago in Hata block. Later, hundreds of animals were found dead in the district’s Banawar area within a week, a veterinary doctor told the agency.
The state’s animal husbandry department confirmed ASF was the cause of these deaths.
The infection has spread like wildfire in the area, a veterinarian told ANI. The carcasses are being buried with JCB machines, they added.
Sporadic cases of ASF have been reported in India throughout the last three years. Swine herds, especially in Hata and Banawar, have been alerted and asked to cooperate in the culling process.
Officials Confirm African Swine Fever in Wild Boars in India
At least 27 dead wild boars tested positive for African swine fever (ASF) in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiri Mountains in India.
MTR Field Director D Venkatesh said the virus was reported in Kerala two months ago and in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka a month ago where 19 wild boars were suddenly found dead, according to the Times of India.
Officials suspect the virus might have spread to MTR from tourist vehicles or the wild boars that migrated to the border areas of MTR from Bandipur, the article said.
To contain the spread in MTR, carcasses were burned immediately after postmortem. The elephant camp at Theppakadu is being strictly guarded now to prevent wild boar entry into the camp. In addition, two special teams of forest field staff have been formed to recover wild boar carcasses if any are still in the region. A team of veterinarians are also on site for inspection.
With no effective vaccine, ASF threatens the livestock industry, bringing with it detrimental impacts on biodiversity and the livelihoods of farmers.
