Idukki: At least 13 cattle, belonging to 15-year-old dairy farmer Kezhakeparambil Mathew Benny, died of Hydrocyanic Acid poisoning after being fed dried tapioca hull at a barn in Velliyamattom near Thodupuzha.
The Animal Husbandary Department (AHD) rescued nine cattle, including calves, while 13 died. The young owner, Mathew Benny felt unwell after witnessing the deaths of the livestock, and has been hospitalised. J Chinchu Rani, Kerala's Minister for Animal Husbandry & Dairy Development, who had backed the young farmer, will visit him on Tuesday.
Thodupuzha MLA P J Joseph visited the farm on Monday afternoon.
AHD officials in Idukki told Onmanorama that they were made aware of the incident around 9.30 pm on Sunday and began the rescue efforts by administering the antidote of Sodium Thiosulfate. The livestock had been fed dried tapioca hull around 8.30 pm.
“Our effort went on till 2.30 am on Monday,” said Nisanth M Prabha, AHD's public relations officer in Idukki. “Though we tried our best, the cyanide that affects the red blood corpuscles had by then done the damage by stopping supply of oxygen to vital organs. One after another, the cattle started to die,” he said.
According to the AHD official, dairy farmers are advised not to feed the cattle dried tapioca hull. "But some feed in very small quantities to cattle of native breeds which have high resistance. Though the toxicity of the hull is expected to be reduced after drying, it not advised as a feed,” he said.
The post-mortem was conducted at a plot near the barn and it was found that the quantity of tapioca hull fed to the cattle was five times more than the permissible quantity.
Mathew Benny had taken over the barn after the untimely death of his father and was dubbed a 'student dairy farmer'. He was given financial support and subsidies by AHD and the Dairy Department. Mathew is supported by his mother and other youngsters in their family.
