Cold weather costs Aus farmers 200 animals

MORE than 200 small livestock died on Monday morning at Aus after sudden rain and freezing conditions hit the southern parts of the country.

Aus is known as one of the coldest settlements in Namibia. Emma Boois, settlement secretary at Aus, yesterday expressed fears that the cold conditions were likely to result in people’s deaths as well.She said everything possible was being done to prevent that.”It is a natural disaster… a big one.The temperatures went below minus one,” Boois said.Aus residents were mainly confined to their houses on Sunday but never expected the sudden rain after the heavens opened at around 19h00.The rain continued until Monday afternoon, measuring 30 mm at some points.The communal farmers on the outskirts of Aus were the worst affected.Petrus Nampala lost 137 animals, Cornelius Christiaan lost 46, while 21 of Thomas Ipinge’s goats and sheep died.Two other farmers reported loses of six and three livestock.”It could have been worse had the guy that looks after the animals not opened the kraal at around midnight.If they had remained in the kraal, more animals would have died,” said Christiaan.Ipinge’s daughter, Kauna, said her dad had suffered “a big loss”.”It is meat all over the place.My dad gave the meat away and people started eating it,” she said.Christiaan said a State veterinarian had visited Aus to investigate the animal deaths and found that all of them had died because of the freezing weather.Christiaan said he had a few weak animals in the kraal that might still die.”We are giving them black coffee in the hope that they will get stronger,” he said.Emma Boois, settlement secretary at Aus, yesterday expressed fears that the cold conditions were likely to result in people’s deaths as well.She said everything possible was being done to prevent that.”It is a natural disaster… a big one.The temperatures went below minus one,” Boois said.Aus residents were mainly confined to their houses on Sunday but never expected the sudden rain after the heavens opened at around 19h00.The rain continued until Monday afternoon, measuring 30 mm at some points.The communal farmers on the outskirts of Aus were the worst affected.Petrus Nampala lost 137 animals, Cornelius Christiaan lost 46, while 21 of Thomas Ipinge’s goats and sheep died.Two other farmers reported loses of six and three livestock.”It could have been worse had the guy that looks after the animals not opened the kraal at around midnight.If they had remained in the kraal, more animals would have died,” said Christiaan.Ipinge’s daughter, Kauna, said her dad had suffered “a big loss”.”It is meat all over the place.My dad gave the meat away and people started eating it,” she said.Christiaan said a State veterinarian had visited Aus to investigate the animal deaths and found that all of them had died because of the freezing weather.Christiaan said he had a few weak animals in the kraal that might still die.”We are giving them black coffee in the hope that they will get stronger,” he said.