Two crow deaths at Gorakhpur zoo increase bird flu worries
Gorakhpur zoo deputy director Dr Yogesh Pratap Singh confirmed the discovery of the crow carcasses. He said both would be handed over to an expert team from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for pathological examination to confirm the presence of the bird flu virus.
The death of two more crows on Saturday evening and Sunday morning has heightened fears of a worsening avian influenza outbreak at the Gorakhpur Zoo that is closed for visitors till May 20.
Gorakhpur zoo deputy director Dr Yogesh Pratap Singh confirmed the discovery of the crow carcasses. He said both would be handed over to an expert team from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for pathological examination to confirm the presence of the bird flu virus.
A five-member expert panel will begin a two-day inspection on Monday.
A report on the avian influenza outbreak will be prepared following the inspection. The outbreak was initially confirmed by Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases on May 12, in a sample taken from the tigress Shakti.
The team includes joint director, Animal Husbandry, Vijay Kumar Tetiya, Dr Manoj Kumar from NIHSAD and officials from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly. The team will inspect the zoo premises, animal enclosures, and the bird sanctuary area, collecting samples for laboratory analysis. They will also go through the deaths due to bird flu and analyse the steps taken till now.
Till now, three deaths due to bird flu have been reported at the Gorakhpur zoo.
An over seven-year-old tiger Keshri died on March 30, a leopard succumbed on April 7, while the tigress Shakti died on May 8, Gorakhpur divisional officer Vikas Yadav said. Bird flu was confirmed in their samples, he added.
The Asiatic lion Pataudi, which was shifted from Gorakhpur to Kanpur on May 11, died on May 15. His sample and that of a dead peacock at the Kanpur zoo, too, tested positive for bird flu, according to officials.
All zoos in Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Kanpur) and the Etawah lion safari are closed till May 20 as a precaution against bird flu.
Forest department officials indicated that the closure is likely to be extended.
