NAKHON PHANOM: Livestock officials are looking into the unexplained sudden deaths of four female buffaloes in That Phanom district on Tuesday afternoon.
Nate Khonman, 47, of Phon Thong village in tambon Na Nad, said that on Tuesday morning he noticed four of the buffalo cows he kept for breeding showed signs of difficulty breathing. He did not think it was serious, so did not report it immediately.
But by Tuesday afternoon their condition had worsened, and then the four buffaloes collapsed and died one after the other. One was six months pregnant.
Mr Nate said he had 16 buffaloes as breeding stock and never fed them fresh grass for fear it might be contaminated with chemical residue. He thought the four buffaloes died from some disease.
One breeding buffalo cow was worth 50,000-60,000 baht, he said.
Mr Nate reported the unexplained deaths to Na Nad Municipality and the district office.
Mayor Veerawat Yeesarapat and district livestock officials arrived quickly at Mr Nate's farm to examine the dead animals.
Samples were taken collected from the bodies for examination, to establish the cause of death.