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state | Arunachal Pradesh

state | Arunachal Pradesh

WAY TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Microchip for identity Ubiquitous Mithuns in Arunachal have an untold misery of landing in wrong hands - not the actual owner. So how does the state handle this, reports Sabyasachi Bhattacharjee. Gone are the days of ‘warfare’ over the ownership of Mithuns, the symbol of social standing in the Himalayan state. With the implantation of microchips imported from Germany, the animal, from now onwards, is all set to make a difference on identification matters. An injectible microchips, with a unique 15-digit identification number embedded in it, is being implanted in Mithuns and Bisons in Arunachal Pradesh – the first of its kind system 32

June 08

for identification of ownership of livestock in any part of the world. The Mithun has traditionally been used as the unit of wealth and has been ubiquitous both in wild and semi-domesticated forms. Having an intimate relation with socio-cultural life of the people, the Mithun has a religious significance too. It is allowed to move freely in the jungle till it is either used for food on festive occasions and marriage feasts or for barter. Owners of the Mithun have traditionally relied on branding the animals or marking their ears for identification. But this has often fallen short of providing a foolproof

system and hence leads to disputes. But now with the microchips, made of chemically treated coils of iron, glass and copper, sourced from Germany by the Centre, coming to their rescue, the livestock owners are all elated. “This Rs. 40,000-chip is injected between the neck and the left shoulder of the animal and is said to have no adverse effects,” said Jikom Panor, a veterinary officer at the government-run Mithun Breeding Centre in Sagalee. According to official records, over 50 Mithuns have already been injected with the microchip and another 50 are in the queue. “If the experiment succeeds, the microchips could be implanted in elephants, domestic animals and also in dogs. It all depends on the owners, if they agree to pay for the shots,” said Mr. Chukhu Loma, the man behind the mission. A deputy chief wildlife warden himself, Mr. Loma said: “Every microchip bears a unique code that resembles a bank account number. One number is allotted to one Mithun and our records will tell who is the owner of that animal.” Mr. Loma hit upon the idea after attending a programme on microchipping of elephants at the Orang National Park in Assam in 2003. He was then seriously concerned with difficulties that the Mithun owners in Arunachal Pradesh were facing in identifying their livestock and soon chose to bring this to his home state. The Mithun is a symbol of wealth in that state and people do anything to own one or two. This rare species of livestock is also reared by the tribal populace of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, besides in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This April 26 - the World Veterinary Day - the state government organised some official events to lay thrust on the rearing of the Mithun, which have gone to the verge of extinction. The government representatives called it a “new dawn” in the history

of veterinary science, when free veterinary services such as diagnosis of diseases followed by treatment and vaccination in different villages, creating public awareness through door to door interactions with the rural populace, microchipping of Mithuns for identification of prolific genre, registration of domestic animals and exhibition of various drugs for the well-being of the animals have been taken up more seriously than before. Keeping track of other development activities in the state, it has taken eight long years for the state to make a rendezvous with the jamboree which was made “get, set and go” in other parts of India as well as the world in 2000. “Lack of awareness about various facets in the veterinary sector and a number of hitches on farming and breeding of animals led to the delay,” experts say. The commemoration is a pointer to bring a welcome change in the veterinary sector for making wholesome animal and human health as well as propelling sustainable environment. In this perspective, the primary objective of veterinarians is to raise the livestock and poultry bird productivity, to make use of improved technological inputs and to come to terms with the demands of an ever growing population. They are giving it a go organizing varied awareness campaigns like seminars, interactions and postering, providing free veterinary service through vaccination programmes. For better economic gains of farmers, the veterinarians are showing them the way for better productivity of animals. Monitoring of live and slaughtered animals for ensuring “safe” food to consumers has also compounded their responsibilities like prevention of diseases in livestock and their treatment. On the emerging threat of bird flu and other diseases, Dr Jikom Panor of Sagalee Centre said: “The bird flu has taken the world by storm due to its emerging threat across the globe. But, we are initiating measures to put a stop to the menace, organising a ‘Bird Training

Programme’ that is underway in Papum Pare district under the supervision of vets, staff of Forest and Health departments. With the maiden initiative to put a check to the outbreak of avian flu in Arunachal, the step involving all the stakeholders is being spread to other districts of the state as well.”

The veterinarians have multi-faceted roles to play for sustainable development and welfare of animals and wild life protection. A scientific temperament seems to be of utmost importance among the stakeholders to bring about improvement in management of animal farms. June 08

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