Seven samples from Delhi Zoo test positive for bird flu

As many as seven samples of bird droppings collected from the Delhi zoo have tested positive for bird flu

As many as seven samples of bird droppings collected from the Delhi zoo have tested positive for bird flu. A brown fish owl, which had died at the zoo in January, had also tested positive for avian influenza, but since then, no other case was reported from the zoo until now.

In a statement issued by the Union ministry, authorities have been directed to use a disinfectant spray of lime juice, Virkon-S and sodium hypochlorite, and a foot bath of potassium permanganate, at regular intervals. (HT/File Photo)

Ramesh Pandey, director, National Zoological Park, on Tuesday said seven serological samples of bird droppings were collected from four different parts of the zoo, frequented by birds, earlier this month.

“These samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, on February 3 for testing. All samples are positive for the avian influenza virus,” Pandey said.

The zoo director said all safety measures and protocols set by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the Union ministry of environment forests and climate change (MoEFCC), and Delhi’s animal husbandry department to prevent the spread of avian flu are being strictly adhered to by the zoo.

“As per protocols, the surveillance will continue and samples collected would be sent for further serological examinations. The Delhi zoo is already closed and will continue to remain so until further orders,” Pandey said.

In January, six bird samples from the Delhi zoo were sent to NIHSAD, Bhopal, but they were all negative for bird flu. These precautionary tests were prompted by the death of a brown fish owl at the zoo enclosure, the carcass of which had tested positive of H5N8 avian influenza.

Samples of dead crows collected from the Red Fort in Delhi had also tested positive for bird flu earlier this year and the historic monument has been closed to public since then. The Delhi government, as a precautionary measure, had prohibited the import of chicken into the national capital in January, but the directive was reversed after the scare was brought under control.

In a statement issued by the Union ministry, authorities have been directed to use a disinfectant spray of lime juice, Virkon-S and sodium hypochlorite, and a foot bath of potassium permanganate, at regular intervals.

“Chicken feed to raptors and entry of vehicles inside the zoo have already been stopped, which is being further reinforced and intensified. Movement of staff and workers in the zoo is also being restricted,” the ministry statement read.