Faulty stun gun stalls pig depopulation

PANDI, Bulacan , Philippines – A faulty stun gun has stalled the mass slaughter here of pigs exposed to the Ebola-Reston virus.

Dr. Davinio Catbagan of the Bureau of Animal Industry said they were able to destroy 442 pigs on Sunday but a defective stun gun forced them to stop the procedure yesterday.

Officials said they expect to complete the slaughter, burning and burial of 6,000 pigs exposed to the Ebola-Reston virus tomorrow night.

“Our stun gun jammed, thus slowing the procedure,” an official who declined to be named said. The official said they even had to use a .22 caliber gun to keep the procedure going.

Cecilia Yacob, head of the Bulacan Provincial Public Affairs Office, said Health officials informed them that pig depopulation is from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Yacob also said that the slaughter of 442 piglets on Sunday was a dry run.

“They are making adjustments,” she told reporters.

Earlier, Health and Agriculture officials said the affected farm would be sanitized for six months after the depopulation process.

They also said they would widen their surveillance of Ebola-Reston virus infestation to include farms in Pangasinan and Southern Tagalog.