MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Erupting volcano imperils two million sheep in Patagonia

Two million sheep in the Argentine Patagonia province of Chubut are suffering the consequences of the ash blanket spewed by the eruption of the volcano Chaiten in neighboring Chile according to primary estimates from local authorities.

Chubut's minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Pablo Korn said that precise numbers are lacking "but from the very beginning we've visited all corners of the province which have suffered from the ash curtain and given advice and technical assistance". "We've told farmers to try their best to keep flocks together and obviously in areas free of ashes when possible. The fact is the situation is very serious because we already had sheep suffering from the drought and scarce grassland and unprepared for these exceptional circumstances", added Korn. "Possibly two million sheep are in very difficult conditions", he admitted. Five counties to the northeast of Chubut are "the worst off and we have been promised ten million pesos (approximately 3.5 million US dollars) by the federal government in support money for farmers". Korn insisted it's still very difficult to quantify losses because the problem has not ceased and "we have to wait some sort of normality in the Andes to assess the real magnitude of the eruption's consequences", said Juan Goya president of the Federation of Rural Societies of Chubut. Meantime on the Chilean side Carabineros and Armed Forces personnel began the evacuation of hundreds of pets which were abandoned when local residents in the area immediate to the Chaiten volcano were forced to leave. The operation under Environment minister Ana Lya Uriarte will try to collect the pets from 7.000 people displaced when the rumblings started on May 2. Pets felt lonely since they are in a ghost town "so they were very friendly and came for us. Rescue has been very emotional since they seemed to be asking to be evacuated", said Minister Uriarte. Pets will be driven two hours to the town of Santa Lucia where they will be fed and given refuge until the situation returns to normal in the Palena province. The evacuation happens after Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, based on experts' advice, warned that going back to the town of Chaitén next to the erupting volcano was not advisable, "it's very risky and dangerous to return to the disaster area".