Yet again, foot and mouth disease (FMD) has hit one of the most important domestic animals of the state, the mithun. As per reports, three mithuns have died and several have fallen sick due to FMD in Sagalee and Toru areas of Papum Pare district. There are reports of mithuns falling sick in other areas of the district, too. Every year, FMD causes mithuns’ deaths across the state. This causes immense loss to the villagers. Rearing a mithun is a very difficult task.
Even though it is a domestic animal, most of the time of the year, mithuns live deep in the jungles. The mithun farmers face a lot of difficulties while taking care of them. Therefore when FMD causes the death of these mithuns, it hits them hard. Considering the fact that FMD is a big threat to mithuns, the state government needs to formulate a policy to help mithun farmers. There are many who are dependent on rearing mithuns for survival in the villages. The government should formulate a policy to extend some kind of help to those villagers. Also, the animal husbandry & veterinary department should carry out more awareness programmes to educate the villagers on how to protect their mithuns from possible attacks of FMD. Also, enough measures should be taken to make sure that minimum damage is done when the outbreak happens. The mithun is the most important animal of the tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh. Its population is also dwindling over the years. The state government should take more initiative to try to help mithun rearers to help improve its population.