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INDIA-ANIMAL-WEATHER
At least 300 Himalayan yaks starve to death in India
NEW DELHI, May 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Indian officials Sunday said that at
least 300 yaks starved to death in a remote Himalayan valley after a bout of
unusually harsh winter weather.
Officials in the northeastern state of Sikkim said they received the first
distress call from around 50 people cut off in the remote Mukuthang Valley in
December.
Following very heavy snowfall the residents asked for help providing feed
for their herd of around 1,500 yaks, a source of local milk, milk products,
transportation and wool.
“We made several attempts to reach them but couldn’t. No roads or air
transport could reach there because of the weather conditions. We reached
there now and have already confirmed at least 300 yak deaths,” local official
Raj Kumar Yadav told AFP.
“The local families say that 500 yaks have died because of starvation. We
are trying to confirm that. Around 50 yaks are also receiving urgent medical
attention,” Yadav added.
Yaks are one of the mainstays of the region’s tourism-dependent economy.
A few yaks die because of extreme conditions in the region each year, but
the authorities say that this year’s toll is unprecedented.
“The weather was too harsh. One heavy spell of snowfall in December was
followed by even more snowfall and even the grass didn’t grow. They died
because of both cold and starvation,” Yadav added.
The authorities are making arrangements to bury the dead yaks and assist
local families in the valley, around 70 kilometres (45 miles) from state
capital Gangtok.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1640 hrs