On Wednesday, 24 April 2019, Members of the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) Farm Animal Protection Unit had to euthanize over 100 pigs on Wednesday, April 24, which were affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) on a farm in Mpumalanga.
The NSPCA says they were informed of the outbreak by the Department of Veterinary Services who assisted the association’s inspectors, as well as two members from the South African Pork Producers Organisation (SAPPO), to relieve these animals of their suffering.
The symptoms of African Swine Fever include a high fever, loss of appetite, the pigs turning a blue-ish/purple colour, breathing difficulty & coughing, and haemorrhages appearing on their skin. “Ultimately they die due to these symptoms and the haemorrhaging of their internal organs. It can take up to 24 hours (and in some cases much longer) for an infected pig to die which is 24 hours too long. They suffer enormously during this time,” says a spokesperson for the NSPCA.
The disease is spread by contact with infected pigs and all pig farmers are advised to take extra precautions in their bio-security protocols. There was an African Swine Fever outbreak in the North West Province less than a month ago as well.
“Whilst we are unable to verify if there was a link between the North West and Mpumalanga oubreaks, we are concerned that the outbreak has now occurred within two Provinces. The disease does not affect humans. However, any meat and products from affected pigs can be a source of infection to other pigs.
“It’s never easy for our inspectors to euthanize animals, and on such a large scale it is quite traumatic. Our inspectors are in this line of work because they love animals and hope that this disease won’t spread to other farms so that pigs across South Africa can avoid this kind of suffering.
“Please be vigilant and report suspected cases of African Swine Fever to your state veterinarian immediately,” requests the NSPCA.