'Buy 70 Goats, 40 Dead, Until We Cry,' The Sad Story Of Livestock Traders In Batam Ahead Of Eid Al-Adha Due To The Long Delivery Time

Illustration-Sacrificial animal traders in Batam slaughter a goat that looks almost dead from exhaustion. (AMONG

BATAM - Traders of sacrificial livestock in Batam claim that the death rate for goats is very high due to fatigue.

"The death rate for goats is extraordinary, perhaps due to further travel. The trip is usually through Kuala Tungkal, Jambi, only one to two deaths, now because it is further from Central Lampung," said Kakan Sriagung, one of the animal traders. qurban in Batam, Riau Islands, Antara, Monday, July 4.

He explained that in the last shipment a few days ago from Central Lampung, the goat mortality rate was even more than half of the number of goats shipped.

"Yesterday, about 70 goats came in and around 40 died, the death rate is extraordinary," he said.

The dead goats had to be buried so as not to cause an unpleasant odor. "Two days ago, we cried, bang, just arrived, not yet entered the cage and already dead," he said.

He assessed that the government regulation requiring the sacrificial animals to be sent using a port to port system that was too far away was not suitable for goats.

"The goats and cows are physically different, the cows may still be strong from Lampung, but the goats are not physically like cows," he said.

With this incident, he admitted that he had suffered a considerable loss. He also ensured that the need for sacrificial animals for Eid al-Adha in Batam would not be fulfilled if the situation did not improve soon.

Especially now that the local government has stopped sending sacrificial animals from Central Lampung.

"Last night, we returned the buyer's DP (down payment) that had been given to us. They have given us a down payment of Rp. 500 thousand to Rp. 1 million, so last night we returned the deposit for 50 birds. The goats cost around Rp. 3 million to Rp. 4 million, multiplied by the 50 that were not purchased, how much have we lost,” he said.