Daringbadi: The death of 20 livestock including 10 cattle and an equal number of goats allegedly after consuming polythene bags dumped during the three monthlong eco-retreat festivals at Daringbadi in Kandhamal district has sparked concern sending shockwaves in the area. The eco-retreat festival which started December 1 ran for a period of three months and concluded March 1.
Locals alleged that the livestock died after consuming the polythene bags and plastic waste dumped around the site during the festival. During this period, several cattle were found dead with their carcasses and skeletal remains lying scattered around the festival site. The matter came to the fore after veterinarians conducted a postmortem of three of the dead cattle.
During the necropsy, polythene materials and plastic waste were found in their stomach. It is suspected that the animals have died after consuming plastic waste, veterinarian Dr Deepak Kumar Pradhan of Daringbadi community veterinarian hospital said. Meanwhile, some other animals are under treatment while a probe has been launched to ascertain the actual reason behind the death of the livestock, the veterinarian said.
Meanwhile, tehsildar Ashok Kumar Das visited the spot and directed the officials to bury the plastic and other waste dumped around the eco-retreat site. The incident has sparked mild tension among the cattle owners residing at Sariping near the festival site. Locals have blamed the negligence of the administration for the animals’ death. The villagers met local MLA Saluga Pradhan and informed him of this regard.
Notably, over 60 cattle died after consuming plastic waste during the eco-retreat festival in 2022.