Fewer cattle to be sacrificed by Jakartans

Fewer cattle to be sacrificed by Jakartans

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration predicted on Wednesday that the demand
for cattle and goats, for the Islamic Day of Sacrifice (Idul
Adha) this Friday would decrease by 30 percent due to the recent
floods.

President of city-owned slaughter house PD Dharma Jaya Prabowo
Moenirman said people had opted to use their money to repair
their damaged houses rather than buy cattle for slaughter.

"Of course, repairing their houses would come before
sacrificing cattle this year," Prabowo told reporters after
meeting Governor Sutiyoso at City Hall.

Last year, about 4,500 cattle and 30,000 goats were
slaughtered in the city.

Prabowo said the administration would distribute the meat of
20 cows and 120 goats during the Day of Sacrifice to flood
victims across the city.

He also predicted the price of cattle and goats would increase
by 10 percent this year due to the current floods which also
devastated other areas, such as Central Java and East Java which
usually supply livestock to the city.

"However, the number of livestock is sufficient and the
animals are in a healthy condition," he added.

Several supermarkets are offering cows at an average price of
Rp 2.5 million and goats at Rp 500,000.

During last year's Day of Sacrifice, an anthrax scare followed
an outbreak of anthrax in Bogor, which claimed several lives.

The city husbandry agency then provided free medicine and
issued certificates to declare the cattle disease-free before the
cattle were sold in the markets.

Although the city administration predicted a decrease in
cattle demand and a hike in prices, the Istiqlal Grand Mosque has
announced it will slaughter seven cows and 11 goats, a slight
increase from last year's six cows and 11 goats.