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Texas agricultural officials fear thousands of cattle may have died in the aftermath of Harvey, resulting in losses to ranchers of tens of millions of dollars.
With more than 1.2 million head, the counties affected by Harvey are home to 1 in 4 of all beef cows in Texas, the nation’s largest producer.
Officials are still tallying the damages, but one report said that 250 cows were found in a pile after being washed down the Colorado River. Others found alive are often hungry, thirsty and worn out.
“We’re finding cattle in waist-deep water,” said Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture commissioner. “But when we try to drive them to dry ground, many of them just collapse, they’re so exhausted.”
For those that do survive the rescue, standing in water for days can cause stress or illness.
Dr. Dan Posey, a veterinarian and clinical professor with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said cattle standing in water will have weakened skin and hooves that are susceptible to infection. And the stresses of prolonged standing, lack of food and no drinkable water could make the cattle susceptible to respiratory disease.
“Not all of them will recover even though they were rescued,” Posey said.
Courtesy of beaumontenterprise.com
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