MUSTANG: More than four thousand livestock including sheep, yak, mountain goat and horses were killed due to excessive cold brought by repeated bouts of snowfall in Upper Mustang for the past five months.

Farmers in Lomantang, Choser, Chonhup, Ghami, Charang and Jhong VDCs of the district are reported to have suffered a loss of around Rs. 450 million due to deaths of animals.

The death toll of the livestock is the highest in the district so far, according to the District Livestock Service Office, Mustang.

A total of 3,985 livestock starved to death due to excessive cold in those VDCs, says veterinary doctor Nanda Lal Verma.

A total of 1,299 mountain goats died in Choser VDC alone. The high number of fatalities of sheep and mountain goats in the pocket areas is expected to lead to a rise in their price in the upcoming festivals, Verma added.