12 Feb 2020

Department of Veterinary Services in Serowe continues to  maintain cordon fences to prevent diseases recurrence in zones.

Central District veterinary officer, Mr Molatedi Kudumane, said in an interview recently that they were busy mending fences along Makoro/Thabala and Thalamabele/Mmashoro lines.

 Mr Kudumane indicated that government erected veterinary cordon fences to prevent disease transmission from wildlife to livestock, adding that this proved to be one of the best solutions in managing the spread of diseases.

He appealed to farmers to ensure that the cordon fence remained in good condition.

Mr Kudumane said the community should not always wait for officials to repair the fence, but should where possible close all the gaps in the fence.

He said it was upon all stakeholders to prevent any disease outbreak because it impacted negatively on the economy of the country, adding that consistent maintenance of cordon fence was essential to control of diseases.

“The country has made great strides in the control of the highly contagious diseases over the years, mainly through systems of elaborate networks of veterinary fences,” he said.

He said the frequency of fence damage caused by elephants increased partly due to drought and some irresponsible farmers who vandalised the fence for various reasons like stock theft.

Small farmers living along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border have struggled for years with elephants that regularly invade their land and destroy their crops.

The cordon fence had been broken by elephants, thereby allowing livestock to stray across the border from Zimbabwe. Ends