Bird flu in UP: 2 red jungle fowls in Kanpur zoo test positive

Bird flu has made its presence felt in Uttar Pradesh with the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal confirming that at least two samples of the 10 red jungle fowls, found dead in Kanpur zoo over the past three days, have tested positive for avian influenza, an official said.

To check the spread of the disease among other birds, a decision was taken to cull all red jungle fowls in the Kanpur zoo and other birds that might have come in contact with them. The zoo administration sanitised the cages in which the birds were kept.

Officials say the jungle fowls were possibly infected by the migratory birds, which flock the zoo lake in winter in thousands. This year, their number was nearly half.

The animal husbandry department in Sonbhadra district of eastern Uttar Pradesh has asked farmers and traders dealing in poultry products not to transport chicken and other poultry products from Madhya Pradesh, said chief veterinary officer, Sonbhadra, Dr AK Srivastava. Bird flu has spread rapidly to several districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Dr Srivastava added that four rapid response teams, each comprising four members, had been constituted in four tehsils of the district for monitoring and containment of the disease.

Eighty five samples were collected from poultry farms in Varanasi to be sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal for testing, according to veterinary officer Dr Satish Tiwari.

Two peacocks were found dead at farms on the outskirts of Raghunathpur village in Badagaon area of Varanasi on Saturday. One peacock died due to cold and the other due to dog bite, said Dr Tiwari, who conducted the autopsy. The birds had no symptoms of Bird flu.

(With inputs from HT Correspondent in Varanasi)