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.