Basudevpur: Two horses have been on the rampage in the Basudevpur area of Bhadrak district, terrorising people, as more than 20 individuals have been bitten by the horses over the past 15 days.

The horses have been roaming freely in Basudevpur market and surrounding areas and entering shops in search of food.

It remains unclear whether they are aggressive due to hunger or exhibiting some other abnormal behaviour.

One of the horses has been in the area for nearly a month, while the other arrived recently. However, their origin remains unknown. Despite repeated attempts, local authorities have failed to capture the horses. The Forest Department, Animal Husbandry Department, and municipality have not taken effective action, leading to growing frustration among residents.

Concerns regarding public safety have been raised during a road safety awareness meeting attended by District Collector Dilip Routaray, MLA Ashok Kumar Das, and police officials.

When questioned, Municipal Executive Officer Sudhanshu Mohan Swain stated that steps would be taken to capture the horses with the support of relevant departments.

PNN

Khordha: Two days after residents of Kotalanga village under Begunia tehsil in Khordha district spotted carcasses of crows lying around in different parts of the village, more such carcasses were found Tuesday morning.

Fearful of a probable bird flu outbreak, panicked villagers informed the local Animal Husbandry Department to take stock of the situation.

On being informed, a team of officials from the Department arrived at the village to identify the reason behind the unusual deaths.

While the exact cause behind the crows’ deaths is yet to be ascertained, the officials informed that samples have been collected and sent to the Animal Disease Research Institute at Phulnakhara for further investigation.

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“The officials assured us that they are monitoring the situation and will take necessary steps if bird flu outbreak is detected,” said a villager.

Meanwhile, a senior official in the district administration said that a meeting was convened November 11 with the Forest department and Wildlife officials to check avian flu outbreak among the migratory birds in Chilika lagoon.

The migratory birds travel thousands of miles every year to reach the lagoon for a hospitable alternate habitat due to non-availability of food in their natural habitat amid the freezing temperature in the Northern hemisphere. Bird flu outbreak among these migratory birds has been recorded several times in the past.

Nabarangpur: Goat farmers of the district are facing problems as the Rs1 crore sanctioned for goat rearing was taken back by the Animal Husbandry Department.

The government had sanctioned funds for goat farmers, and all procedures were followed to credit Rs 17,500 to the bank accounts of each and every goat farmer, but the farmers didn’t get a single rupee.

The government had provided Rs 1 crore to the district unit of the veterinary department to provide financial help to around 600 goat farmers in 10 blocks of the district.

It was also decided that the farmers would get Rs 5,000 in their bank accounts in the first phase, and the balance of Rs 12,500 in the second phase.

But only 22 farmers of Jharigaon block got Rs 5,000 in their accounts in the first phase while farmers of the remaining nine blocks were not provided the money.

The Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) was trying to give the money to goat farmers, but the department took back the Rs 1 crore.

CDVO Narayan Behera said 600 goat farmers were identified in the district, and they would be provided cattle sheds under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The government decided to give farmers Rs 17,500 if they had 10 female goats and a male goat in their sheds, Behera added.

He said he didn’t know the exact reason why the sanctioned funds were taken back by the government. The farmers would be given the money when funds come, he added.

PNN