Over 200 cows and goats have died in Pirgacha upazila of Rangpur in the past month affected by an unknown virus, the Upazila Livestock Office confirmed Thursday.
Farmers and local veterinarians are struggling to identify and treat the disease, which often kills animals within 24 hours of showing fever.
Many farmers are selling sick livestock at very low prices to local butchers, causing widespread loss and panic across the upazila.
According to the local farmers, the virus causes high fever and sudden weight loss, leading to quick death.
They also complained that with limited support from the livestock office, they have to rely on untrained local practitioners for treatment, often with little success.
Recently, Mozzaffar Miah of Anantaram village lost three cows and four goats, Khoka Miah lost six animals, and several others reported losses of valuable livestock worth lakhs of taka leaving them in severe financial distress.
One of the residents of Anantaram village said, “I treated three cows and three goats with a local doctor, but they all died. I had to sell the remaining animals cheaply. Now my cowshed is empty.”
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Farmer Robiul Islam said livestock officials are often unavailable for their needs as they keep busy meeting pharmaceutical company representatives.
Pirgacha Upazila Livestock Officer Dr. Ekramul Haque Mondal said, “Our teams are treating affected animals and vaccinating others, but manpower is limited. The issue has been reported to higher authorities, and a specialist team from Dhaka is expected to visit soon to determine the exact cause of the deaths.”