Qld: Starving animals bogged after heavy rains
By Nikki Todd
BRISBANE, Feb 11 AAP - Graziers are being forced to mercy kill their livestock andaerial-drop fodder as thousands of animals remain bogged and stranded at Tambo Shire incentral Queensland.
Several thousand sheep and cattle - weakened as a result of years of drought - arestranded in sodden ground with little or no feed following heavy rainfall in recent days.
Torrential rain, brought about by the remnants of ex-Cyclone Beni, fell continuouslyfor three days over the weekend with more than 250mm recorded in some areas.
The rain came as the shire was drought-declared by the Department of Primary Industries(DPI) last Friday.
Southampton Downlands property owner Adina Sargood said conditions had gone from droughtto flood in a few days.
"We had no rain for 12 months and then eight inches fell in three days. It's awful,"
Ms Sargood said.
"People have basically been drought-feeding their stock for eight months to keep themalive and then eight inches of rain just comes and falls and makes it very tough."
Ms Sargood said the weaker sheep and cattle were bogging and had to be humanely putdown, while fodder drops were necessary to help stranded livestock.
Hume Turnbull, manager at Lansdowne property, said hundreds of newly born lambs haddied as a result of cold temperatures that accompanied the rain, while "a couple of hundred"
sheep had been washed away by rising river waters.
He said despite "plenty of mud" and water runoff which was keeping livestock stranded,the rain was still welcome.
"We're all very grateful for the rain, but it has created another problem we have todeal with," Mr Turnbull said.
DPI regional project leader Michael Lancaster, who has established a temporary officein the shire to provide assistance, said graziers were yet to determine the full extentof the situation.
He said a helicopter had been chartered to help with fodder drops for graziers in need.
AAP nt/sc/jnb/ts
KEYWORD: BOGGED
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