The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has released the findings of an investigation into the mass mortalities of cattle in the Zambezi Region’s Kabe South constituency between June and November last year.

585 cattle, most of them old, pregnant, lactating, or young, died at 23 homesteads and 12 crush pen areas by the end of October.

Over 80% of the cattle visited were found to be in poor bodily condition at the time of the investigation, and poor grazing pastures were observed in most areas visited.

A team of veterinary experts is in the Zambezi Region on a fact-finding mission to establish the cause of cattle deaths in the flood plains of the region.

Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed hemorrhagic septicemia as the cause.

Hemorrhagic septicemia is a disease of water buffalo and cattle in tropical regions caused by specific serotypes of Pasteurella.

Farmers were advised to immediately vaccinate all their healthy cattle against Pasteurella, black quarter, botulism, and anthrax, as such diseases are common during the dry season in the region.

Priskilla Dausas, 71, who was evicted from Cando Farm three years ago, is still homeless.

Dausas was moved next to the fence opposite the road when the new farm owner, with no use for new workers, took over.

At the time, Dausas recalls that she had many farm animals, but their numbers have dwindled with time, moving further away from Farm Cando each time.

She is currently placed near neighbouring Farm Paloma in the Omatako District, but the pensioner says she cannot stay here as cattle theft is on the rise in the area.