Backhoes are now being used to dig mass graves for dead pigs from hog cholera in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, Mayor Jilson Tubillara said Tuesday, May 16.
Records show that since last month 726 pigs have died in San Enrique affecting 217 raisers, but the number is much higher as other deaths have not been reported, he said.
Pigs in all 10 barangays of San Enrique have been hit with hog cholera. They become ill in the morning and die in the afternoon, Tubillara said.
San Enrique is a catch basin for water so if dead pigs are thrown in rivers this causes the spread of the virus that infects other pigs, he said.
They are using backhoes to bury the dead pigs because they are so many, and they must be buried six feet below the ground to prevent the spread of the disease, he said.
The best method for disposing of dead pigs is through burning but it is an expensive process because fuel is needed for that, he added.
There is a thin line between the symptoms of hog cholera and African swine fever, Tubillara said.
Some hog raisers are even giving their pigs away for free but people are not accepting them, he said.
The entire 4th District of Negros Occidental is a red area for cholera, Tubillara said, as he stressed the need for inter-LGU border controls.*