SARIKEI: After an eight-hour journey by air from Sydney Australia and another eight hours by road from Kuching International Airport, all the 160 head of Tanjung Manis-bound goats arrived here around 5.30pm on Wednesday.

All the animals were in good condition and were given a few hours rest here before they were ferried by boats to Tanjung Manis late that night.

However, the condition of the animals looked very worrying when they were on their way from Kuching to Sarikei, Mohamed Hassan, the consignee of the ruminant animals said.

Apparently, the animals were sardine-packed into two trucks while the extremely hot weather did not help at all.

Workers who tended to the animals during the journey said they were worried when they saw the animals weak and exhausted.

They said as soon as they arrived here, they called a local veterinary officer to seek his advice and assistance on how to take better care of the animals.

According to Mohamed, the Boer breed goats were bought by 14 individuals from Tanjung Manis, including himself, through a Mukah-based FG Multifarm.

The animals were meant for them to start their livestock farms which they hoped would enable them to participate actively in the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub, an integrated industry under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) development programme, he said.

According to Mohamed, as the goats were meant for breeding, the farmers bought the animals in the ratio of 1 male to 10 female animals.