Bonnie Konyak
Dimapur | December 7
For the people of Chaoha – a small village located 46 kilometers from Mon headquarters – the Mithun is a symbol of their cultural heritage, passed on by the gods to Chaoha forefathers, to which they are now stewards. This magnificent bovine species is so intricately linked with the social, cultural and economic life of the village that there is even a proverb about the first herd of mithun being addicted to the salt of their village, thus making it their home. However, today the much-valued inheritance stands at risk with hundreds of their precious animal mutely dying from the dreaded Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
Village council chairman of Chaoha, Ponwang Konyak said that the mithuns first began dying sometime in July earlier this year and when this reporter visited the village towards the end of November; it had not been contained yet. In fact, now the disease has even spread to buffaloes, leading to the death of about 300 animals in the village alone. Village leaders are unable to exactly ascertain the number of animals that have perished, as mithuns and buffaloes are reared in a semi-wild form and allowed to roam freely in the lush community forest of the village. The community estimates the death toll to about 300. Also, many more animals have disappeared as the FMD disease, which infests the hooves, leaves them unable to walk and graze, ultimately causing them to die of starvation.
This infection of their livestock is a monstrous, unforeseen tragedy for the people of this small village of 375 households, who have no awareness that such a disease exists and therefore totally unprepared for it. For these villagers, possessing a mithun is a matter of social status and the more mithuns a person possesses, the greater his social status and prestige in the village. The animal was used for sacrificial purpose in celebrations, as a mode of penalty and as bridal gift during earlier times. It is now slaughtered for its meat during the Konyak festival, Aoleang, Christmas and New Year celebrations and more recently, during elections. The animal is the main source of income for the village with one mithun being sold at a rate which ranges between Rs. 15, 000 to Rs. 25, 000, depending on the age.
The National Research Centre in Mithun in Jarnapani, Nagaland, states this bovine species has a limited geographical distribution found mainly in the rain forests of the hilly North-Eastern states of India i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Nagaland accounts for 14.4 percent of the total mithun population in India. Research reveals that besides its meat, considered to be superior and tenderer than beef, mithun milk is richer and contains two times higher energy nutrients than cow’s milk. Its hide is found to be excellent for making sofa covers, superior in quality to cow hide. The mithun’s climbing capacity on steep hilly slopes and greater body size also makes it a viable draught animal.
However, the people of Chaoha know nothing of the varied utility of this unique animal and they rear it only for meat under free grazing conditions on jungle vegetation. The mithuns roam freely in the jungles and sometimes wander into neighbouring villages despite the wooden fences that the village tried to erect. Such wanderings usually result in the slaughter of the ‘erring’ animal by members of other villages. Damaging the fields of other villagers is considered an injustice. Last year, Khampai, the secretary of the village’s church, disclosed that the village lost a total of 12 mithuns this way, as there were no proper barricades to keep the animals from wandering.
With a veterinary centre just 14 kilometers away at Aboi, there is a lot of resentment at what was attributed to be the ‘government’s inaction’. It was disclosed that some workers from the Veterinary department had briefly visited, a few months ago, and provided some medicines after carrying out inspections. However, the villagers are far from being appeased as the livestock are still dying. Affected farmers expressed frustration at what they consider as neglect, saying that their plight has not been noticed by those who can help.
Dr. Khate, with the National Research Centre on Mithun, says that the animals should have been vaccinated before the rainy seasons to prevent the disease.
However, he added, the semi-wild state of the animals make it very difficult to administer the vaccine. For this reason, Dr. Khate disclosed that the government had been informed on the need to procure tranquilizers so that proper vaccinations and treatments can be carried out to prevent such catastrophe.
The infection of their livestock with this highly infectious viral disease has already caused extensive damage to the economy of the village in terms of lakhs of rupees. Even now with the misfortune running into its sixth month, there seems to be no help forthcoming and the villagers are filled with the dread of impending doom. “We send our children to schools; build houses and procure all our needs through mithuns” lamented Khampai in an attempt to convey the grief of the community.
(This news feature is written in fulfillment of a media fellowship with the National Foundation for India)
