As a result of the multiple cruise ship Corona virus disasters, the Australian public quite understandably sees ocean going vessels as one of their most serious threats for future infections. In the case of cargo vessels including livestock carriers, the reverse is the case. Visiting a port for loading or discharge represents the only opportunity…
4 years ago I wrote a story about the Myanmar cattle industry with the heading “Myanmar’s Enigmatic Beef Cattle Industry : Please ring back in 2026.” I have just spent 2 weeks in Myanmar in mid-January 2020 and must review my predictions for the future of the cattle industry as a lot has happened in…
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The Indonesian festival of Qurban was celebrated on 12th of September this year. This celebration is not only a very important religious festival but also has an enormous impact on the domestic supply of cattle, sheep and goats. Official figures from the Government of Indonesia record that during the previous annual Qurban, slaughter numbers for…
Myanmar has by far the largest beef cattle herd in South East Asia with a population in the order of 15 million head to support a human population of about 60 million. This herd represents more than all the other Greater Mekong Region cattle herds put together. Thailand national herd about 5 million. Cambodia 1…
In 1989, 18-year-old Nyoman Budiasa left high school in rural Lampung (South Sumatera) and began his working life as a yard boy at the local general store for Rp. 1,500 for a 17 hour day. In those pre-financial crash days that amount was worth about AUD 70 cents per day. Today, Nyoman is an exceptionally…
Last year I wrote a story about a skinny boy called Bambang, who was (and still is) an exceptional Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) in South Sumatera, Indonesia. Ucok is an AWO in North Sumatera and while he is every bit as effective as Bambang, the two could hardly be more different. 32 year old Ucok…
Myanmar has been featuring in the news headlines lately with numerous reports of boat refugee crises, serious cross-border rebel skirmishes and peace making efforts between the central government and some of the 135 different ethnic nationalities. The majority Burman ethnic group makes up about two thirds of the population and controls both the government…
This sleepy river crossing on the Thailand-Myanmar border near the northwestern Thai town of Mae Sot is the only significant site where live cattle and buffalo from Myanmar are imported into Thailand. 120,000 head of cattle and buffalo walked across this shallow crossing into Thailand during 2014. The simple fact is, the cattle movements across…
I took this photo about a year ago near a tiny fishing village in southern Sumatera. I kept returning to it because there was something about it that struck a cord but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it came to me, the subject is a metaphor for the Indonesia that I live…
