Mystery disease outbreak claims several camels' life in Cholistan

BAHAWALPUR: A mystery disease has claimed life of dozens of camels in Cholistan desert stretches, livestock officials said here.

Provincial livestock officials have said that an outbreak of a flu-like infection among camels in Cholistan desert being monitored by the department after deaths of animals reported.

Punjab livestock special teams examined over 11,000 camels in five days and found disease symptoms in around 1100 animals.

The cases have been reported from the desert stretches of Sadiqabad and Kot Sabzal in Rahim Yar Khan district, where herders first raised concerns about sudden illness in their animals.

“The samples of 52 camels have been sent to the livestock laboratories in Lahore and Islamabad,” officials said.

According to various news reports, infected camels initially develop cold-like symptoms, followed by high fever and episodes of collapse, often leading to death within hours.

Camel herders saying they are losing animals worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, threatening their only source of income.