Showers of mercy: Muhammad Zubir keeping his cattle cool by spraying water on them at his farm in Bangi, Selangor. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: It was 7am when manager Muhammad Zubir Mohamed, who was preparing to depart for his feedlot in Bangi, Selangor, received news of yet another cow’s death.
Over the past three months, the feedlot has lost 20 head of cattle, ostensibly due to heat stress brought about by the hot weather Malaysia is currently experiencing.
The cows were to meet demand for Hari Raya Aidiladha on Thursday.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, Malaysia is expected to experience the El Nino phenomenon, leading to warmer and drier weather until September this year.
“The current hot weather is impacting livestock farmers. At our feedlot, we lost 20 head of cattle over the last three months.
“Each of them weighed an estimated 180kg to 250kg, valued at around RM4,300 each. I lost nearly RM100,000,” Muhammad Zubir, 42, told Bernama when met at the 0.8ha feedlot, which he has been managing since 2004.
The high temperatures have also affected the growth of the other livestock at his feedlot, resulting in them not attaining the desired weight and not being sold as scheduled.
His operational costs shot up after he was forced to extend his cattle’s growth period until they attained a minimum weight of 180kg each.
He said he had to change his daily routine at the feedlot three months ago to adapt to higher temperatures.
Previously, he would bathe his livestock once a day in the morning but now he bathes them twice a day.
Their drinking water has also increased by 40 to 45 litres a day; they now drink twice the amount they used to before the hot season set in.
“In the hot weather, the animals appear restless and aimless, causing them to become stressed and dehydrated.
“When we see them in this condition, we would bathe them twice a day and ensure their enclosures are kept clean, as dirt will expose them to various diseases,” he said, adding that imported breeds such as the Limousin Bull require more care.
“For such breeds, we need to instal a garden net to reduce the incidence of heat stress.”
Commenting on the effects of hot weather on livestock, Dr Norhidayah Mohd Taufek, who is senior lecturer at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Science Faculty, Universiti Malaya (UM), said heat stress can endanger animals and even cause death.
She said cattle, which are usually darker in colour and have bigger body sizes and thicker hides, are more susceptible to the effects of global warming which can cause a reduction in body size, weight and fat layer.
Mohd Shahmi Hakimi Mazlishah, a research officer at UM’s Glami Lemi Biotechnology Research Centre, said heat stress can be detected in animals through their rapid breathing, high rectal temperature and restless behaviour.
This condition, he said, can be attributed to the increase in free radicals in the livestock which can cause damage to their vital organs such as the liver, kidneys and lungs.
Meanwhile, the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) said in an email reply to Bernama that Malaysia’s food security level is still stable as the local livestock industry has not experienced any drop in meat production due to global climate change or extreme temperatures in Malaysia.
The department also noted that there has been no significant increase in meat imports and that meat supplied by the local livestock industry is “still under control”.
DVS said this is because livestock industry players that come under its purview have been given training to adapt to the hot weather by raising breeds resistant to temperature changes, rearing the animals in sheltered enclosures, and providing them with adequate amounts of drinking water to prevent the occurrence of heat stress.
