Goats and sheep suffocate in a plastic-covered tukul in Aweil town on Monday, September 9, 2024 Credit: Courtesy

Authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal reported that more than 200 goats and sheep suffocated to death due to heat after they were locked in small tukul covered with plastic sheets.

The State Minister of Fishery and Animal Resources, Kerbino Thiep Tong, confirmed to the press yesterday that the incident occurred at a livestock centre in Aweil town.

On Monday, he disclosed that out of 342 goats and sheep at the livestock centre in Aweil town, 227 have died, leaving 115 alive.

Tong did not specify the exact number of deceased animals but urged residents not to consume the meat due to potential health risks.

He assured that his team would investigate the cause of the deaths.

This incident underscores the challenges in livestock management in the region, which is vital for the local economy.

Minister Tong emphasized that his office will implement measures to ensure the safety of livestock at the selling centre.

“They put a lot of sheep and goats in one Tukul, and this tukul is covered by a plastic sheet and yesterday there was a lot of heat in Aweil,” said Tong.

“Officials from the animal health department did their test and found that there’s no sickness, the issue of ventilators and oxygen is the problem and also suffocation,” he said.

“The Tukul had 342 and 115 were removed alive and 227 died, so what happened is a human mistake, not sickness.

“We will still search and investigate what is the reason for that, we as a ministry we saying that these animals will be buried and not eaten by the people because we don’t know what was the reason for the death.”