The number of pigs culled and slaughtered has jumped to more than 93,000 nationwide after 6th of October Governorate finished culling 25,000 pigs in various areas within the framework of the national prevention campaign against swine flu. Meanwhile, Animal Care Societies said they submitted a notification to the Public Prosecutor against the Agriculture Minister and the governors of Cairo and 6th October accusing them of burying pigs alive.
Dr. Hamid Samaha, Chairman of the General Authority for Veterinary Services, has said 4,065 pigs have been killed in the Governorate of Giza, 2,935 in Qalyubia, 1,045 in Helwan, 24 in the Governorate of the Red Sea, and 386 in the Governorate of Cairo. The Directorate of Veterinary Medicine in the Governorate of 6th of October has said that more than 26,000 pigs have been culled in various parts of the governorate and that the latter was due to be declared free of pigs at the beginning of next week. Official sources at the Ministry of Agriculture expected pigs in Egypt to be more than 300,000 compared to the 156,000 estimated in official statistics mentioned by the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture. These sources also pointed out that strict instructions had been given to speed up the disposal of pigs to avoid the international criticism at the government's decision to get rid of these animals if it took too long to carry out all these executions. Mona Khalili, Secretary General of Al-Rahma Animal Care Society, proposed using pigs to feed lions and tigers at the zoos of Giza, Alexandria and other governorates after slaughtering those pigs in accordance with international specifications and standards instead of burying them alive. This way, she said Egypt could avoid harsh criticism from the international community. The Zoo Department at the General Authority for Veterinary Services, though, objected to this proposal. Dr. Hatem Kamal Anwar, director general of the zoos and wildlife director at the General Authority for Veterinary Services, said Giza Zoo already tried to give pork meat to lions and tigers, but they did not like it, which was why the zoo had stopped carrying out that proposal. Meanwhile, the General Authority for Veterinary Services issued a new publication signed by Dr. Hamed Samaha, Chairman of the Authority. This publication stresses the need to adhere to scientific standards when slaughtering or culling pigs, and to explain how pigs were slaughtered.
The Authority's instructions include slaughtering pigs by pricking their heart and following all the other procedures to handle pork meat and store it in specific places without mixing it with local meat. According to these directives, pigs under the age of five and pregnant females are to be culled and then disposed of by burning them or burying them in a deep hole. In case they are buried, a layer of quicklime must first be placed, then pigs are put in the hole, and are finally covered with another layer of lime covered in turn with a layer of sand measuring not less than a meter. This is then covered with a layer of materials repelling insects or predators. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends (ESAF) intends to submit a notification to the Public Prosecutor accusing Agriculture and Land Reclamation Minister Amin Abaza and the governors of Cairo and Helwan of burying pigs alive.
