MADURAI:
Ponies are the only mode of transport for people as well as for the
products grown in most parts of the Sirumalai hills in Dindigul
district. As these villages rarely pay attention to the health of these
animals, officials from the department of animal husbandry conducted a
medical camp recently, where the animals were given tetanus shots and
also treated for worms.
As only 30% of the hilly terrain of Sirumalai is connected by roads, people here who earn their living through agriculture and horticulture, depend on the ponies to take them up the hill and also carry the goods that they market down the hill. This is a unique terrain in the sense that it is a hillock surrounded by Vadipatti, Madurai, Alanganallur and Kodai Road without any connection to the steep slopes of the Western Ghats, which are a few kilometres away. This hill is 1,200 metres above sea level and spread over an area of 60,000 hectares. It is known for its special variety of bananas known as 'malai vazhaipazham' while coffee, medicinal plants, mulberry and a variety of fruits are cultivated on private and government lands here. The area comprises of 10 villages including Palaiyur, Sirumalai Pudur and Anna Nagar.
According to Perumal, a villager, at least 75% of the families in the 2,000 odd houses on this hillock own a pony each, while the more affluent ones have enough animals to even rent them out. On information that some of the ponies in this region were affected by tetanus, Dindigul district collector N Vedachalam directed the department of animal husbandry to look into the welfare of the animals, following which a medical camp was held. Villagers said the camp was a timely intervention, as they often did not find the time to give the animals their shots regularly. The Blue Cross also conducts annual camps here. Officials at the department of animal husbandry said they administered tetanus vaccines to 150 animals and that they hoped to cover all the animals in a phased manner.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/madurai/32174093_1_ponies-animals-medical-camp
As only 30% of the hilly terrain of Sirumalai is connected by roads, people here who earn their living through agriculture and horticulture, depend on the ponies to take them up the hill and also carry the goods that they market down the hill. This is a unique terrain in the sense that it is a hillock surrounded by Vadipatti, Madurai, Alanganallur and Kodai Road without any connection to the steep slopes of the Western Ghats, which are a few kilometres away. This hill is 1,200 metres above sea level and spread over an area of 60,000 hectares. It is known for its special variety of bananas known as 'malai vazhaipazham' while coffee, medicinal plants, mulberry and a variety of fruits are cultivated on private and government lands here. The area comprises of 10 villages including Palaiyur, Sirumalai Pudur and Anna Nagar.
According to Perumal, a villager, at least 75% of the families in the 2,000 odd houses on this hillock own a pony each, while the more affluent ones have enough animals to even rent them out. On information that some of the ponies in this region were affected by tetanus, Dindigul district collector N Vedachalam directed the department of animal husbandry to look into the welfare of the animals, following which a medical camp was held. Villagers said the camp was a timely intervention, as they often did not find the time to give the animals their shots regularly. The Blue Cross also conducts annual camps here. Officials at the department of animal husbandry said they administered tetanus vaccines to 150 animals and that they hoped to cover all the animals in a phased manner.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/madurai/32174093_1_ponies-animals-medical-camp
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