LAKKI MARWAT, June 9: Different livestock diseases have broken out in the district and have taken lives of dozens of animals during the last few days. Cows and camels were affected by the diseases.

Epidemics and infectious diseases like black-quarter are also spreading in Ghazni Khel.

Increase in ticks, which suck blood from all kinds of animals and cause death to livestock and dozens of other dangerous diseases to the animals, has been reported in different areas.

Red-water, theliriosis, anaplasmosis, ticks fever and surra are caused by the ticks according to livestock experts.

In the Abdul Khel village, some 12km from here, cows of Yusaf Khan, Janat Khan, Rozi Khan,  Mohammad Gul and Abdul Khanan fell prey to such diseases and expired in a few hours. The poor inhabitants of the area depend on their livestock for their livelihood.

A veterinary surgeon said the main reason of the cows’ death was deficiency of phosphorus, because since long the area was facing drought and the pastures had stopped growing food for the animals. On the other hand, the owners of the livestock milked their animals regularly, which caused deficiency of phosphorus, he said.