Surat: Fifty-one goats and sheep died after drinking water in a sugar cane field on the outskirts of Sandhiyer village of Olpad taluka of Surat district on January 14. Doctors suspect poisoning to be the cause of their death.Laruben Rathod (45), who raises goats and sheep for her livelihood, had taken the animals out to graze on the day of Uttarayan along with others. She has lodged a police complaint at Sayan outpost of Olpad police station in this connection.She has said in her complaint that the animals drank water from a small canal in a sugar cane field on a kuccha road towards Mortan village. They started falling on ground soon after drinking water and soon 51 of them died. Laruben Rathod said her and other families’ loss due to the death of 51 goats and sheep was around Rs1.5 lakh .Dr Harit Bhatt, taluka veterinary officer, Olpad, said, “It looks like a case of poisoning. The animals might have either eaten poisonous fodder or drank poisonous water. We have sent their viscera samples for examination to Forensic Science Laboratory.”Locals said there is a urea plant in the vicinity and that the water that comes from it is poisonous. However, veterinary doctors said urea contamination can’t cause immediate death of the animals.

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