Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Tainted bran blamed for camel deaths
Tests of fodder and samples from dead camels proved that the death of hundreds of camels in Saudi Arabia was due to antibiotic compound salinomycin.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:16 September 10, 2007
Riyadh: Tests of fodder and samples from dead camels proved that the death of hundreds of camels in Saudi Arabia was due to antibiotic compound salinomycin.
"It appeared that the bran used for camel feed contained high concentrations of this compound, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement yesterday.
Salinomycin is a compound to which camels are allergic as it contains toxins and leads to their death.
According to some reports, about 3,000 camels died in the past few weeks in the kingdom.
The Saudi Minister of Agriculture Abdul Rahman Balghunaim was earlier quoted as saying that the cause of the mass death of camels is not because of an infectious disease but because the animals were fed bran that had been brought from traders whose stocks were contaminated.
Fungus
The ministry pointed out that another cause of the mass death of camels was a fungus called aspergillus clavatus, a toxic fungus found in large quantities in fodder. It added that the international laboratory based in Paris has confirmed that this fungus affects the camels' nervous system.
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The ministry noted that samples taken from the bran, on which camels were fed, show that it contained that fungus. It added that among the causes of the death of the animals was the existence of large amounts of toxic aluminium. It said that aluminium is available in several compounds used as insecticides and sold in the Saudi market.
The ministry, under criticism from camel breeders who accused it of negligence, noted that it would continue investigations to know the source of toxins in the bran, which was used to feed the animals.
It urged all farmers and animal breeders to follow precautionary measures by buying fodder from authorised factories and dealers, not to store fodder with expired dates and to keep fodder in safe places away from humidity.
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