Epidemic Hits Pigs In Kodagu
08 November 2006INDIA - Pandi curry (pork), the number one delicacy of Kodava cuisine, may become a rarity for want of pigs.
The reason is a yet-to-be diagnosed disease that has claimed several porcine lives in Kodagu district recently. According to some veterinarians in the district, pig-rearers have complained of their stock suffering from fever, often leading to death.
The feverish symptoms, when detected about 4 months ago, were suspected to be throat-fever by the veterinary doctors. But after examining specimens of dead pigs at a lab in Bangalore, the possibility of throat-fever was ruled out, causing further anxiety not only among the pig-rearers but also the consumers.
So far, nearly 35 pigs have been reported dead because of the strange disease, and several more are found to be ailing.
Though pork is a delicacy for the Kodagu people, commercial breeding is almost non-existent in the district. One or more pigs are reared by farmers or planters for domestic consumption, which again is a
rarity these days because it is more economical and convenient to buy pork from the market.
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Source: ProMedMail
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