Local vet to Guimaras 'hunters': 'Hunt rabied wildcats, dogs, not vamps'
The mysterious, unknown killers and attackers of some 100 ducks in Buenavista, Guimaras could be rabid wildcats and dogs or even the "Monitor Lizards" locally known as Ha-lo.
With the random mass slaughter raising alarm and fear, local veterinarian Dr. Ken Patrick Uy told The News Today (TNT) it is highly possible that rabid animals are on the attack and on the loose in Guimaras.
Both dogs and wildcats (Musang, Singgarong or Melo to locals) are abundant in Guimaras, he said, while adding that after the rainy season, the past months to this month are usual breeding periods for the wildcats.
Dogs are one of the possible 'suspects', he acknowledged, with such naturally carnivores, the dog-diet has more preference for meat. The wildcats on the other hand are back to breeding at this time, the first breeding period being the "Spring months" or those before Summer.
Yet what makes the incidents peculiar and out of ordinary is the rising number of ducks 'attacked' which Dr. Uy said could be attributed to rabies. A non-rabied wildcat would 'naturally' hunt for food at this time and easily kill about 2 to 3 ducks in one single attack yet a rabid one would randomly attack as many as it could.
As such, Dr. Uy said residents must be warned not to cook and eat the attacked ducks. The duck-meat would pose danger and could even be fatal, the warning went, alongside the potential danger mere sighting of said animals pose to humans.
"Indigenous man ang Ha-lo sa Guimaras so posible man ini pero ang sa mga bats ya, daw gamay lang ang chances kay usually fruits na ang ila ginapili," Dr. Uy added. "But again, it is not safe to eat the meat of whatever was eaten by these rabid animals. If they are the attackers, 100% sure gid 'ta nga these are wild animals and 100% no rabies vaccination so the meat is infected as well and not fit for human consumption. Delikado gid. And stay away from them because even if unprovoked, they will attack."
Rabid animals, he continued, similarly have excessive salivation and are afraid of water. "Ang number one nga bantayan nila tani sa Guimaras amo ang rabied animals. That is what they should hunt and watch out for. These animals usually stay in densely planted areas, forested or shrubby sites and not so much in ricelands. They would usually live up to two weeks and they would not stop until then. One single small bite is enough to infect. Day or night they will attack. But they are not so much for drafty or windy places," he ended.