Geese died due to lung infection, say experts

Lung infection was the cause of the death of over 20 domestic geese at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh last week, revealed a report prepared by a veterinary laboratory in Jalandhar.

Lung infection was the cause of the death of over 20 domestic geese at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh last week, revealed a report prepared by a veterinary laboratory in Jalandhar.

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The report also mentioned malnutrition as one of the reasons behind their death. UT chief wildlife warden Santosh Kumar said: “We have received the report, which has ruled out any kind of bird flu, including avian influenza. The prevailing cold conditions and the old age of the birds are the reasons for the lung infection.”

In view of the deaths, authorities at Sukhna Lake would construct a shed for the existing birds, Kumar said.

He said a diet schedule for the birds had also been prepared and they would be fed regularly in the morning and evening.

Sources in the wildlife department said the Jalandhar laboratory had also sent samples of the dead birds to a laboratory in Bhopal to ascertain the causes of their deaths.

There are around 100 domestic geese and 1,500 migratory birds in the lake. The UT administration has prohibited visitors from feeding the birds. In 2007, over a dozen birds died at Sukhna Lake due to bacterial poisoning.

Meanwhile, the ongoing tussle between the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Cooperation Limited (CITCO) and the UT wildlife department over the upkeep of geese came to an end on Monday with the wildlife department taking responsibility for the maintenance of the birds.

In the last two days, neither the CITCO nor the wildlife department was ready to take responsibility for their upkeep.