Karnataka: Goats and sheep quarantined after shepherd contracts COVID-19
Bengaluru: About 50 goats and sheep have been kept in isolation at a village in Tumakuru district after a shepherd tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.
The villagers panicked when they noticed that some goats and sheep at Godekere village in Gollarahatti taluk were having respiratory problems, an officer in the animal husbandry department of the district said.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the officer told PTI: "A few of the animals whom the shepherd had reared developed respiratory problems. Now that there is corona scare everywhere, people are afraid that the animals too have contracted the disease."
The villagers then sought the help of Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy, who is the Tumkuru district in-charge minister, and the Deputy Commissioner of the district K Rakesh Kumar to get the matter investigated.
The minister directed the animal husbandry department to probe the matter following which department officials rushed to the village and collected samples.
Veterinary experts suspect that the animals are suffering from Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as goat plague, and mycoplasma infection.
The officer said the samples collected from the animals have been sent to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals and veterinary laboratory in Bhopal.
According to him, the prevalence of COVID-19 has not been recorded in goats and sheep.
The animals have been quarantined because PPR and mycoplasma too are communicable diseases and can spread to other animals, he added.
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Attacks on Christians contradict PM's message of harmony, visit to church: Gehlot
Jaipur (PTI): Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday expressed concern over the reported attacks and disruptions in prayer gatherings of the Christian community in different parts of the country, saying such incidents were "worrying and condemnable".
In a post on X, Gehlot said that while the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting a church and giving a message of peace and harmony, news of attacks on members of the Christian community from various regions reflected a serious contradiction.
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"Symbolic gestures would not be enough, and strict legal action was required against those spreading hatred," the senior Congress leader said.
He added that Indian culture has always upheld the spirit of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", where every citizen has full freedom to practise their faith.
Gehlot urged the Centre and state governments to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no citizen is forced to celebrate their festival under fear.
