Wild dogs have killed 175 sheep in Sonagazi, Feni. The sheep had an estimated market value of Tk 20 lakh.

The attack happened on the night of Friday, 16 December, on Abdullah's Char in Char Chandia union of the upazila.

Since then, local farmers and herders have been guarding their livestock round the clock for fear of the dogs, and no one dares graze them in the fields.

The farm's owner is Nazrul Islam Shahin, former chairman of Musapur union parishad in Companiganj upazila, Noakhali.

He said: "I set up a sheep farm in my name on Abdullah's Char in Char Chandia union of Sonagazi upazila, next to Companiganj. There were 275 sheep in all. At about 6pm on Friday the farm's herder, Selim, went to the nearby bazar for a snack. Six wild dogs took the chance to raid the farm, and their bites killed 175 sheep. Of the sheep that died, 120 were pregnant."

Farmers complain that government officials are never available when they are in trouble. When contacted they say they are busy, and when they do come to a farm they have to be paid a fee.

They said angrily that more than a hundred sheep were killed by dogs on Friday night, yet by 6pm the livestock officer had still not come to the scene.

Sonagazi upazila livestock officer Dr Supan Nandi said people had informed him by phone and he was on his way to the scene; details would be given to the media later.

Upazila parishad chairman Zahir Uddin Mahmud Lipton said it is the livestock department's duty to stand by farmers in trouble, but a whole day had passed since more than a hundred sheep died on the char and the livestock officer had not gone to the scene. The matter will certainly be looked into, he said.

Asked about it, Feni district livestock officer Dr Anisur Rahman said it was regrettable that the officer concerned had not reached the scene even 12 hours after the incident, and that necessary action would be taken.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.