According to Mr Jan Eleveld of the farm IQ144 Elandsfontein, on the road between Kokosi and the N14, his first Brahman cow died of a mysterious illness on 4 May. Although the animal had glazed eyes and blood was running from its nose, he was not immediately alarmed.
It was only when several more cattle started getting sick that he decided to seek the help of veteri- narians. Although it was difficult to get help during the lockdown, Eleveld was assisted by two veterinarians from Potchefstroom and Parys respectively, when more of his cattle got sick.
By last week, 17 of his cattle, all white Brahmans worth between R25,000 and R30,000 each, had died. The veterinarians took samples and sent them to the Onderstepoort veterinary laboratory.
These samples showed that the animals had died of snot disease, medically known as Malignant Catarrhal Fever (MCF).
The strain of the virus for which the dead animals tested positive is transmitted by blue wildebeest. The disease cannot be treated and there is no vaccine for it.
It is not only the monetary loss of the animals that are a problem to the family, however.
Eleveld’s daughter in law, Rina, explains that some of the cattle were hand-reared and are more like pets than farm animals.
“It is devastating to see the animals suffering,” she says.
The family has moved the cattle into a small camp near the house to keep an eye on them.
This means they now have to be fed as there is not enough grass in the enclosure.
“You have to watch them constantly as any of them can start showing symptoms at any time. Once they start showing symptoms, they will eventually die,” says Mrs Eleveld.
Besides their neighbours who have also suffered losses, the Eleveld’s are worried that other farmers in the area do not even know that the disease exists in their midst. This includes some small-scale farmers.
Calls from them and the Herald to officials of the State Veterinarian’s Office in Randfontein have not yielded any success.
Anyone in the area who thinks their animals may be infected or have died from the same disease, should call Andre Smith at 074 892 5025. His family has also lost livestock to the virus.