(Eagle News) — More dead pigs suspected to have been infected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) were found dumped in Marikina River, alarming city and health officials.
According to the Marikina Veterinart Office, as of 2 p.m., Thursday, the number of dead pigs seen in the river reached 16.
They suspected that the dead pigs were from Rizal province where some hogs have been confirmed to have been hit by ASF, and were just brought there by the current.
Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said one dead pig was found near the statue of “Marikit” at around 8 a.m., while another five dead pigs were found amid floating garbage in the river.
The other pigs were carried away by the current, with two of these retrieved near Kalumpang have already been buried.
“There is no slaughterhouse or piggery in Marikina. The dead pigs could have been from the upstream of Rizal,” Mayor Teodoro said.
The Department of Agriculture has earlier confirmed that 14 of the 20 tissue samples from dead pigs in Luzon were found to be positive for ASF.
The DA has already ordered the deployment of local government unit meat inspection services enforcement teams to closely monitor all public and private meat markets and outlets in view of the reported increase in swine deaths in Bulacan and Rizal provinces.
It has also directed the strict monitoring of unusual swine deaths in the country.
Local government units were also ordered to report to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) any unusual number of swine mortalities in their respective localities.