Bird Flu: Over 7,100 birds culled in UP’s biggest-ever operation since 2013

In two previous culling operation this year in Uttar Pradesh, some poultry birds were killed in Sherpur area in Pilibhit district and wild birds were culled in Kanpur zoo earlier this month.

Mass culling of poultry birds was carried out in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday even as half a dozen other wild birds tested positive for the disease in the Deoria district.

The culling operation carried out on Tuesday was the biggest in recent years. (HT_PRINT)

In what was being said to be the third and the biggest culling operation in UP since 2013, a total of 7,177 birds were killed after some of them tested positive for avian influenza. Of these, 7,122 were poultry birds, 49 were ducks and six were pigeons.

“We had to cull more than 7,100 birds, mostly poultry, within one km radius from the epicentre, as per the government’s guidelines, after some birds were found infected in Lakhimpur Kheri on January 26,” said RP Singh, director, animal husbandry (animal diseases).

“As per the guidelines, once infection is confirmed in birds at an epicentre, all birds within 1 km radius from that place are killed to arrest the spread of the disease,” he explained.

Twelve vehicles equipped with audio systems made continuous announcements about the operation and appealed to locals for cooperation, said district chief veterinary officer TK Tiwari, who along with sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Shwati Shukla, led the entire operation.

“We convinced people in a way that we did not face any resistance from them. On the contrary, people started offering their bird to us for culling,” he said.

Explaining the process of culling, Saket Yadav, a doctor, said, the birds were first sedated with a medicine and then decapitated, after which the dead birds were put into special poly bags and buried deep into the ground with layers of lime and salt, as per the guidelines.

Barring 177 poultry birds, which were domestic, all other poultry birds culled in the state’s biggest bird flu culling operation were from poultry farms.

Prior to this, culling of poultry birds was done on a very small scale in Sherpur area in Pilibhit district and wild birds were culled in Kanpur zoo earlier this month. The first operation to cull poultry birds due to avian influenza was said to have been launched in 2013.

A few days ago, traces of avian influenza were also found in some wild birds in Deoria district, creating a scare. “We sent samples of some sick wild birds for testing. Half a dozen crows and one heron were found to be infected with bird flu,” said RP Singh.

He said random samples of birds from various districts were being sent regularly to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly.

“But the positivity rate in UP is still very low,” he added.

The state government had banned import of all live birds from other states through a notification on January 20. But it rolled back the ban after a week following the Central government’s advice.