Goats losing grazing land

PURWAKARTA, West Java: Some 300 goats raised and bred by a state animal husbandry unit are threatened with hunger because grass no longer grows in their traditional grazing land, due to the current severe dry spell.

The operators of the unit said they had to shepherd their goats to new grazing land but the animals now have to fight for space with other cattle, the Antara news agency reported.

"We don't know where we're going to take them once the grass there is depleted," said one operator.

The goat breeding unit is run on behalf of the West Java Animal Husbandry Office. The animals are sent to other provinces in Indonesia for breeding purposes. (emb)