The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has said it will start monitoring health of goats put on sale from Tuesday.
Goats are brought to Kathmandu in huge numbers during Dashain as consumption of meat soars during the festival season.
According to KMC officials, an estimated 55,000 goats are consumed in the Valley during the festival.
Medical inspection teams formed by the KMC in association with the District Livestock Service Office, Nepal Food Corporation and Nepal Agricultural Council will monitor live caprine animals at major markets located at Thankot, Kalanki Khashi Bazaar, Bijuli Bazaar, Tukucha and Balaju among other places to ensure that consumers are not sold sick animals, according to Hari Kumar Shrestha, chief of the Urban Health Division at the KMC. The inspection teams will have experts, veterinarians, doctors, KMC administrative staff and Nepal Police personnel. An estimated 400 traders will be dealing in live goats and chyangras (mountain goats) in Kathmandu during the Dashain festival, according to Nepal Livestock Traders’ Association. These animals are brought to Kathmandu from different parts of the country.
The inspection teams will mark healthy animals with a green mark and sick ones with red mark. Unhealthy goats will be kept under medical observation for 24 hours and put under medication. If they are found healthy later, they will be sent to market again with green marks.
“To check entry of dead goats, we will deploy our teams at Thankot and other major entry points,” said Shrestha.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues, crime, and human interest stories since 2011. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
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