PARBAT, Sept 20: Mountain goats worth around Rs 1 million died due to suffocation in Kushma of Parbat on Monday. 

The goats died while they were being transported to Pokhara from Upper Mustang in a container truck. 

The goats were being brought to Pokhara by Prabin Adhikari of Modi Rural Municipality.
“Of the 130 goats that I was bringing to Pokhara, 60 died due to suffocation in the truck. Remaining goats also are not in good health condition,” he added. “When we reached Kushma, I went to check the condition of goats in the truck and found many of them dead.” Adhikari said he has invested Rs 2.2 million to purchase mountain goats and transport them to Pokhara for the Dashain festival. 

“Goats worth around Rs 1 million died on the way,” he said, adding that goats must have died due to suffocation as the goats were packed like sardines. “My plan was to transport them in two trucks. But we could arrange only one truck. Also, the driver said that the goats can easily be transported to Pokhara.” As there was no ventilation, the goats died on the way, he added.

Adhikari further told Republica that he had requested the driver to check how the goats are doing. “But he checked the condition of goats only after reaching Kushma. I am suffering huge loss due to carelessness of the driver,” he complained.

Veterinarian Bimal Poudel said that the goats died due to heat. “Mountain goats living in cold weather could not bear the high temperature,” he said, adding: “The trader made a mistake by transporting all the goats in a truck, leaving them no space to breathe.”
Adhikari has returned the truck, saying that he would sell mountain goats in Kushma.
Meanwhile, traders are busy bringing mountain goats from Upper Mustang for Dashain celebration to Pokhara and surrounding areas. The demand for mountain goats hit peak during the Dashain festival.