It has been confirmed that 300 sheep fell down a cliff in Sariosia

In the Sariosiyo district of Surkhandarya region, 300 sheep were lost as a result of a flock falling into a ravine. This was reported by the head of the district department of veterinary and livestock development, Shamsher Umedov.

According to him, the incident occurred on May 25. “Such cases have been recorded before. Sheep are herd animals — if one falls into a ravine, the others follow. Our staff and representatives of the district Sanitary and Epidemiological Service went to the site and counted the number. The sheep were healthy, no disease was found,” Umedov said.

He noted that because it was impossible to remove the sheep from the ravine, they were treated with special chemicals on site, twice. “This area is located far from residential settlements. Therefore, it was not possible to burn or bury the dead sheep. The chemicals will decompose them within a month, and no infection will spread,” Umedov added.

At the same time, in reports circulating on social media, it is claimed that the shepherd was forced to lead the sheep along the ravine because a preventive inspector, a social worker, and members of the local council of seven did not allow the flock to be moved across the main village road. Shamsher Umedov stated he was unaware of this information and that the relevant agencies are currently investigating the issue.