Srinagar, June 12 (IANS) At least twenty sheep were found dead on Friday under suspected toxic conditions in the Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Officials said the sheep belonging to a shepherd from South Kashmir’s Tral area died under suspected toxic conditions, causing major loss to the owner and raising fresh concerns over the safety of grazing areas.

The sheep belonged to Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Seer Tral, and were reportedly being moved to the highland meadow when the incident occurred in the Kehlil area of Tral.

Shepherds said the sheep had grazed on grass suspected to have been contaminated with pesticides shortly before they began collapsing.

All 20 sheep later died, though the exact cause of death has not been officially confirmed.

The incident has caused concern among shepherds and livestock owners, many of whom depend on seasonal grazing routes for their livelihood.

The latest episode comes less than two months after a similar incident was reported in the Yarigund area of Kawoosa in Budgam district, where eight sheep died under suspected toxic conditions on April 26.

Police had registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident.

The recurrence of such incidents has prompted calls from livestock owners for a thorough investigation into the use of chemicals in areas frequented by grazing animals and for measures to prevent similar losses in the future.

Locals urged the concerned departments to ascertain the cause of the deaths and provide appropriate assistance to the affected shepherd.

Excessive use of fungicides and pesticides in fruit orchards in the Valley is posing a major environmental challenge. Even the safety of apples sprayed with pesticides and fungicides has come under a dark cloud, with some questioning whether their consumption is safe.

The massive use of these chemicals has started getting into the food chain of living beings, and that spells a huge disaster in the making unless immediate remedial measures are taken to stop the hazardous practice. If organic farming and organic apple growing are not started in the near future, the local horticulture industry would have sounded its own death knell, the experts have said.

Meanwhile, the shepherds are a worried lot, and are seeking answers to the cause of deaths of so many sheep.

–IANS

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