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Drought ravages Maasai livestock
2006-03-06 11:05:45
By Patrick Kisembo, Longido
ThousandsS of heads of cattle have perished in the past three years in the newly established Longido District in Arusha Region.
A visit by The Guardian established that dozens of cattle, the economic mainstay of the Maasai herders, die daily, leaving the community without recourse.
Namanga Ward Councillor Kishil ole Nabak blamed the decimation of livestock on severe drought for the past three years.
The councillor, said there was no pasture for the animals and people were making futile attempts to shift their animals to other areas.
’In the past, we would move with our livestock across the border into Kenya in search of pastures. But Kenya is drier than Tanzania now,’ ole Nabak said.
He said the most affected animals are cattle which now fed on soil because the vegetation had dried up.
’Cattle is now worthless as prices have plummeted to 10,000/- per head or still the buyer could ask you to slaughter the animal and sell the hide to him at 3,000/- or 5,000/-,’ ole Nabak said.
The councillor, showed journalists more than 20 carcasses of cattle that had died in the last few days.
’At least four head of cattle die each day,’ he said, adding that meat from the animals was not fit for human consumption.
’Since you are here, you will discover that nobody eats meat. This is because people have no cattle. Even if they had, their meat is not fresh, so people eat goat meat instead,’ he said.
Carcasses of dead cattle, goats and sheep are strewn all over the desolate land.
This reporter, led by a guide, Samuel Mollel, found 12 head of cattle in the throes of death, desperately hanging onto their lives near a small water pond. Mollel had to call a moran (youth) to rescue the cattle that were too weak to move.
’These cattle have not grazed or drank water for almost a month,’ said Philip ole Saroni, the moran leader in Kimokuwa Village.
Before the drought, cattle used to fetch 350,000/- per head, but an animal was now sold at between 10,000/- and 40,000, ole Nabak said, adding that the situation was the same in all villages in the area.
Longido Village Chairman Motika Kasosi confirmed that the prices had dropped and impacted seriously on the incomes of the nomadic community.
He added: ’The value of goats is now higher than cattle. A goat fetches between 25,000/- and 50,000/-.’
Longido, Gilai and Ketumbeine councillors in Longido District corroborated what was said by the Kimokuwa councillor.
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