Fungus in feed kills thousands of Saudi camels

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2007:

 

 

 

Fungus in feed kills thousands of Saudi camels

 

RIYADH--Contaminated feed is suspected of killing more than

5,000 of Saudi Arabia's 862,000 domestic camels in less than a month

from mid-August to mid-September 2007, along with hundreds of sheep

and cattle. The deaths have occurred across most of the southern

half of the country, from Mecca to the Yemen border.

Demand for camel meat fell steeply, the Saudi online

newspaper Arab News reported. Driving the decline was concern that

the toxin might be passed from camel to human, amid rumors of camel

breeders selling sick animals for any price they could get.

A probable effect of a decline in Saudi camel slaughter would be an

increase in slaughter of imported cattle, sheep, and goats, but

since camels are usually not slaughtered if they can work, the net

effect on live transport of other species would be slight.

The camel deaths may have caused more political unrest than

economic impact.

" Breeders are venting their anger at government officials, "

Agence France-Presse reported. The daily newspaper Al-Watan quoted

a camel breeder who alleged that " officials of the Agriculture

Ministry have remained with arms folded despite this unprecedented

disaster, " which other media have described as a " national tragedy. "

" Many owners have attributed the deaths to the bran fed to

the animals recently instead of barley, whose price has been

spiraling, " said Agence France-Presse.

The Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat alleged, " It is the

bran originating from the [state-owned] silos and mills of Khamis

Mushayt, " near the first outbreak of poisoning in Wadi al-Dawasser,

that is responsible for this catastrophe. "

Seeking to contain unrest, King Abdullah ordered that camel

owners be compensated in the amount 4,000 riyals (about $1,066) for

each loss, " but camel owners cited in newspapers thought this was

too little, " said Agence France-Press

Deputy Defense Minister Prince Abdel-Rahman bin Abdel-Aziz

offered 300 of his own camels as replacements to some breeders who

had lost their herds.

The poisoning attacks camels' neurological functions,

causing them to lose control of their movements. They then suffer a

cerebral hemorrhage and complete paralysis, according to the

business daily Al-Eqtisadiah.

Saudi Agriculture ministry veterinarian Ali Khalaf al-Hassawi

attributed the poisoning, believed to result from a fungus, to " the

wrong methods of stocking bran. "

Agriculture Minister Fahd bin Abdel-Rahman Balghnaim

disclosed the suspected role of the fungus on September 6, 2007.

Testing done in both Saudi Arabia and in France " showed that the

samples [taken from dead camels] contained salinomycin, a compound to

which camels are highly allergic, " Arab News reported on September

9. " Laboratory tests showed that the bran used to feed camels

contained this compound in high concentrations. Another contaminant

found in large quantities in the fodder was Aspergillus clavatus, a

fungus which usually appears in places with high humidity as well as

high temperature. " Mycotoxins produced by the fungus produce the

camels' neurological symptoms.

" Tests also proved that the samples of bran and those taken

from dead camels contained toxic aluminum in large amounts, " Arab

News said. " The Agriculture Ministry pointed out that most

insecticides available in the market contain aluminum. "

Unknown is whether camel keepers or feed dealers might have

used more than the recommended amounts of insecticide to try to kill

a poorly understood contaminant.

Early in the outbreak, the camel deaths were believed to

have been caused by an unknown infectious disease.

Al-Watan reported that a similar but more regionally

contained rash of camel poisonings occurred in 1995, involving bran

from the same importer. The results of tests undertaken in Germany

and Egypt were never made public, Al-Watan said.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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