4
REPORT ON THE CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT (INCLUDING THE INSEIN
cannot fend for themselves. In many villages in the Mokaung area, they have
to be laboriously watered by hand and many owners are hand-feeding their
stock on tanaung bin leaves for lack of other fodder." It is not to be won-
dered at that once a disease like rinderpest gets a start among such animals a
heavy mortality ensues. In this district (Shwebo) there are six Assistants
and they, alone, attended over 200 outbreaks. Excepting the months of July,
November and January, inoculation operations were continued throughout the
year in the district—some 8,447 cattle having been inoculated.
In the Sagaing District, excepting the Myinmu and parts of Ngazun Town-
ships, the disease was virulent in all townships. The greatest losses, viz. 2,500,
2,500, 1,854 and 1,095 occurred in the Sagaing, Tada-u, Chaungu and Myaung
Townships respectively. Owing to some villagers not agreeing to have their
cattle inoculated the Deputy Commissioner had to issue special orders to keep
uninoculated animals in special pens constructed at the owner's expense.
Through the untiring efforts of the district officers and the Veterinary staff
the disease was brought under control partly by inoculation (8,703 animals
inoculated) and partly by segregation. Two Assistants were sent on special
duty to assist the local staff. Over 250 outbreaks were attended to by the Assist-
ants during the year.
In the Upper Chindwin District disease was most virulent in the Paungbyin,
Tamu, Mawlaik, Kalewa and Kalemyo Townships. In the Tamu Township the
disease started in the early part of the year and by the middle of the year " many
thousands of cattle, specially ploughing cattle, succumbed to the disease. This
township suffered to such an extent that much land had to remain uncultivated
for want of ploughing cattle." "The infection in the Mingin Township which
was confined to a couple of villages in its southern portion would appear to have
been carried from the Lower Chindwin District. Inoculation was carried out in
four of the badly affected townships of Tamu, Paungbyin, Mawlaik and Kalemyo ";
3,594 cattle were injected. One Assistant was sent on special duty. The Deputy
Commissioner remarks that " the outbreaks might have been less serious had
the people realized the danger of infection ; they have learnt only to a certain
extent to appreciate the services of the Veterinary staff. This is specially
so in the case of Indian cattle owners who undoubtedly cause the disease to
spread in some instances by failure to carry out the rules and to take advantage
of the assistance of the staff where available."
In the Minbu District rinderpest played havoc in the Salin Township
where 2,262 cattle died out of a total loss of 2,586 during the year in the district.
One Assistant was sent on special duty, and over 1,900 cattle were inoculated.
Minor outbreaks were also reported from the Lower Chindwin, Pakôkku
and Thayetmyo Districts. In the former the disease was mostly prevalent in
the Mônywa Subdivision ; in Pakôkku, in the Pauk Subdivision ; and in Minhla
Township of the Thayetmyo District. Nine thousand nine hundred and fifty
animals were inoculated in the Lower Chindwin and 5,645 in Pakôkku. The
Bombay Burma Trading Corporation, Limited, were instrumental in persuading
contractors and others to have their baffaloes and cattle injected in the Pauk
Subdivision of Pakôkku District. Unfortunately, insufficiency of serum, due to
difficulty in transporting it over such long distances, seriously interfered with
the possibility of dealing with the situation successfully by this means.
Anthrax, Haeniorrhagic Septicaemia, etc.—Nothing to note on these
diseases.
Foot-and-mouth disease.—Nothing to note.
Veterinary Inspectors, 11.—Pakôkku 1, Minbu 1, Magwe 1, Mandalay 1,
Katha 1, Bhamo 1, Sagaing 1, Shwebo, 1, Mônywa 1, Meiktila 1 and Yamè-
thin 1.
Special Duty.—Nil.
Veterinary Assistants, 88.—Magwe Division 18, Mandalay Division 22,
Sagaing Division 20, Meiktila Division 16, Reserve 10, and Military duty 2.
Special Duty, 9.—Magwe Division 3, Mandalay Division 3, Sagaing
Division 2 and Meiktila Division 1.