Over 3,000 ostriches killed

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): The government has had more than 3,000 ostriches exterminated in a bid to curb the spread of anthrax in Purwakarta, West Java.

Director general of animal husbandry Sofyan Sudrajat said here on Monday the extermination of the large birds was a prompt and effective move in combating the anthrax.

The disease was reported at an ostrich farm belonging to PT Cisada Kema Sari in Purwakarta last December, killing at least 300 of the birds.

"In Purwakarta more than 180,000 livestock are threatened by anthrax," Sofyan said. Other provinces liable to the disease include East Nusa Tenggara, Irian Jaya, Sumatra, Lampung, Sulawesi, Jambi and Central Java.

The government has vaccinated at least 50,000 livestock in Purwakarta, some 90 kilometers east of Jakarta, since the outbreak of the disease.

"Hopefully the vaccinations will be completed in March," Sofyan said.

A Purwakarta resident reported suffering from a bleeding ulcer, a symptom of anthrax, after eating ostrich meat. (45/sur)