2
Equines.
5. Glanders—Was confined to the districts of Rangpur, Darjeeling
and the Sodepur Pinjrapole in the 24-Parganas, 27 deaths from this cause
occurring as against 67 in the preceding year. The decrease was at the
Sodepur Pinjrapole, where only one animal died as against 59 in the year
previous.
Compensation was as usual paid liberally to horse-owners, and the total
sum awarded to them for the compulsory slaughter of their animals amounted
to Rs. 565 as against Rs. 222-8 in the preceding year. The increase in
expenditure is due to the fact that larger sums had to be paid for the
destruction of a better class of animal during the year under report.
6. Anthrax.—Only 15 deaths were reported as against 11 in the year
previous. With the exception of Burdwan, Mymensingh and Jalpaiguri the
rest of the Province was practically free from the disease.
7. Surra.—Only four cases were reported from the Asansole sub-
division of the Burdwan district. In none of these cases was the diagnosis
confirmed by bacteriological examination.
8. Other Diseases.—The loss under this head amounted to 27 as
against 17 in the year previous. Of this number 20 occurred in Darjeeling,
but no details are available.
Bovines.
9. Rinderpest—Appeared in a somewhat virulent form in several
districts in Bengal. The total number of animals that died from this disease
was 21,126 as against 5,443 in the year previous. As stated before the loss
was very heavy in the districts of 24-Parganas, Noakhali, Rangpur and
Bakarganj, and the majority of deaths in those districts took place before
our men could get to the seats of outbreaks.
In the district of Noakhali, in which as many as 7,549 deaths occurred in
the char lands of Sadar sub-division where cattle are generally kept loose.
The Magistrate with the assistance of the Veterinary Assistants of Sadar and
Feni took all possible steps to stamp out the disease. Orders were issued by
the Magistrate to ferry-farmers to stop carrying the cattle to and from the
non-infected area, and the panchayets, chaukidars and dafadars were
instructed to help in every way possible. The Veterinary Inspector visited
the affected localities, and helped the assistants in carrying out the preventive
inoculation work.
In the district of Bakarganj the Veterinary Inspector of the Dacca
Division assisted by a staff Veterinary Assistant from Calcutta and the local
Veterinary Assistant spent about two months attempting to stay the disease
by inoculating work, etc.
In the Darjeeling district also there was a severe outbreak of this disease
amongst hill cattle at the St. Andrew's Colonial Homes at Kalimpong. It may
be stated here that hill cattle are much more susceptible to this disease than
cattle of the plains, and the mortality in this outbreak was in consequence
very great.
10. Foot-and-mouth disease.—Caused 537 deaths as against 558 in the
preceding year. Of this number 176 cases occurred at the Sodepur Pinjra-
pole.
11. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.—Was responsible for the loss of 2,407
animals as against 1,957 in the previous year. The outbreak was very severe
in the Mymensingh district, where 600 animals died.
One thousand two hundred and sixty head of cattle were inoculated
against the disease in this District.
12. Black quarter—Was reported from two districts (Burdwan and
Murshidabad) and caused 9 deaths as against 24 deaths in the preceding year.
13. Anthrax.—One thousand six hundred and eighty three animals were
reported to have died as against 65 in the previous year. One severe out-
break occurred in the Sundarbans of the 24-Parganas and another in the
Duars of Jalpaiguri. In the former outbreak 1,000 animals are said to have