Beasts of burden reach Rangamati

Some of the 20 imported donkeys at the Ass Reproduction Centre in Rangamati town. PHOTO: STAR

The 20 asses have been kept at the Ass Reproduction Centre, set up on the premises of the district livestock office at Asambosti in Rangamati town. People, particularly children, crowd around the centre to watch the animals, not seen in the hills before.

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The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Ministry imported the beasts of burden from Punjab in India at cost of USD 1440. They will be reproduced to help hill people carry goods to inaccessible areas.

The special programme to reproduce asses was taken up by the Rangamati Hill District Council (RHDC) as a 'test case', said District Livestock Officer Pryanath Barua. The district council will provide funds for the scheme, he said.

He said construction of sheds for 15 asses and five female asses are going on and will be complete soon.

Special care is taken for them as all the five females are pregnant, he said.

A total of 480 asses would be imported under a special ass procurement scheme. Fifty of them will be given for Bandarban.

Sources said that imported asses will be use to carry sacks of food grains, especially to remote hills at times of disaster.

Some of these could also be distributed to poor people for income generation.

The livestock department has been given funds for their rearing under the supervision of RHDC.

As per a preliminary estimate, Tk 10 lakh will be spent annually for rearing the animals.