Dead pigs found floating at sea in Oriental Mindoro town
CITY OF CALAPAN –– More than five dead pigs were found floating off the shores of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro, a province that is still free from African swine fever (ASF), Monday morning.
Fisherfolk found the dead pigs around 11 a.m. on the beach in Barangay Estrella, according to Naujan Mayor Mark Marcos on his official social media post.
Marcos went to the beach, where at least five pigs were found, as the number of swine carcasses kept increasing.
“Nung bandang hapon po ay meron pang mga nadagdag sa iba pa naming barangay na nasa baybay dagat din. Hanggang kanina pong mga alas sais y medya ng gabi ay meron pa daw po uling natagpuan. Ipinadisinfect ko po muna at ipinasecure para mailibing bukas ng umaga dahil madilim na po sa dagat,” he said in his post.
(In the afternoon, some more dead pigs were found in our other villages, also by the beach. Until around 6:30 p.m., some more were reported. I first had these disinfected and secured for immediate burial tomorrow morning because it is already dark in the sea.)
He said Dr. Rochelle Boongaling of the Provincial Veterinary Office suspected that the pigs were dumped into the sea by a ship that passed by, similar to an earlier incident at sea in Pola town where dead pigs found negative of ASF were also discovered.
The Municipal Agriculturist Office had taken samples from the dead pigs from Naujan for examination at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Barangay Barcenaga to determine if the pigs are sick.
There is still no case of ASF in the province, said Marcos.
Marcos told the public to immediately report to authorities if they see dead pigs floating in the sea or river and if some pigs are sick.
