Kaski, October 13
A total of 14,800 sheep and mountain goats have arrived in Pokhara for sale in Dashain. Traders have brought the animals from Mustang, Darchula, Bajhang, Bajura and Dolpa. Markets have been set up in Simpani of Pokhara Metropolitan City-1 and Hemja of Ward No. 25.
According to Nawaraj Adhikari, a veterinary doctor at the metropolitan city’s Animal Services Section, 9,000 animals have arrived from Mustang, 2,000 from Darchula, 1,800 from Bajhang, and 1,000 each from Bajura and Dolpa. He said some animals were still on the way and were expected to reach the markets one or two days before Phulpati.
Sheep from other districts of Gandaki Province are also brought to Pokhara for sale. Adhikari said some traders had already brought their animals to the markets, while others had kept them at grazing sites around the city.
Meanwhile, a joint team from the Animal Services Section, the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Services Office in Kaski, and the Animal Quarantine Office in Pokhara has begun monitoring the animals’ health and sales. Most of the animals inspected so far have been found healthy, and monitoring will continue until Phulpati.
Traders are required to have the animals examined by the livestock services offices in their respective districts and obtain health certificates before transporting them. Isolation facilities have been arranged to separate sick animals from healthy ones if any are identified during inspections.
Dr Grishma Neupane, chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Services Office in Kaski, said inspections were being conducted with particular attention to animal health and disease risks because large numbers of livestock enter the market during festivals. He urged consumers to check the animals’ health before purchasing them and advised them to choose mountain goats with normal breathing, no excessive salivation and smooth coats.
He also recommended bringing animals home at least 24 hours before slaughter if they had been transported over long distances on foot or by vehicle.
According to the metropolitan city’s Animal Services Section, mountain goats are selling for up to Rs 1,250 per kilogram and sheep for Rs 700 per kilogram in Pokhara’s markets. Demand for mountain goat meat is high in Pokhara and surrounding areas during Dashain, as the animals are raised in the cold climate of the Himalayan region. Goats and sheep are also brought to Pokhara for sale from districts including Surkhet, Arghakhanchi, Dang, Palpa and Tanahun.
Nawaraj Devkota, a trader from Mugu, said he had brought mountain goats from Humla to Pokhara after an 11-day journey. He said the animals had been transported partly on foot and partly by vehicle.
According to Devkota, continuous rainfall and landslides had made transportation more difficult this year than in previous years.
“This time, we faced problems from rain and, at other times, from floods. The market used to be good, but it is not doing well now,” he said.
Devkota said the cost of mountain goats had risen because traders had to pay fees to various local governments and livestock services offices along the route, in addition to expenses for grazing.
The post Sheep and mountain goats market opens in Pokhara for Dashain appeared first on OnlineKhabar English News.