Three buffaloes have died and around 30 others fallen ill after allegedly eating grass laced with poison at a char in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali.
Several of the sick buffaloes are in critical condition, according to local veterinary officials.
The incident occurred at Lalchar in Kesabpur union. Veterinary officials initially suspect that a poisonous substance was applied to the grass, causing the animals to fall ill after grazing there. The exact substance can be determined only after laboratory tests, they said.
Local farmers and livestock owners have been rearing buffaloes freely at Lalchar for years, with the char’s abundant grass serving as their main source of feed.
Last Friday, herders took more than 100 buffaloes to the char. Soon after grazing, the animals began falling ill one after another. Some collapsed, drooled heavily and became extremely weak.
Owners and locals rushed to the area after hearing about the incident and arranged treatment for the sick animals. However, three buffaloes – owned by Rafiz Mridha, Suman Majhi and Ruhul Amin – died.
Mostofa Fakir, a buffalo owner from Ray Saheber Basinda in Chandradwip union, said 18 of his buffaloes had fallen ill and several were in critical condition.
“I have been rearing buffaloes at Lalchar for about 15 years. Hundreds of buffaloes have grown up eating grass from this char, and nothing like this has happened before. Someone may have poisoned the grass out of hostility,” he said.
Bauphal Upazila Sub-Assistant Livestock Officer Md Shahidul Islam said the preliminary assessment was that the animals had become ill and died after consuming poisonous food.
“Samples from the dead buffaloes will be collected and sent to a laboratory. The actual cause of death will be confirmed after the test report is received,” he said.
Bauphal police station Officer-In-Charge Md Sirajul Islam said samples had been sent to a laboratory to determine whether the buffaloes died from poisoning.
“Once we receive the report, we will investigate and take legal action accordingly,” he said.
