Krushnaprasad: Culling of chicken continues for a week now in villages under Krushnaprasad block and near Chilika Lake in Puri district following detection of the H5N1 virus in samples of poultry birds and crows.
As many as 7,315 chickens have been killed till now and buried by the district officials after orders from the state government. At least 10 teams have been deployed for the culling of the chicken.
At least 399 were killed on the first day, 276 in second day, 3630 in third day and another 3010 in the fourth day, officials said.
While some villages refrained from killing their chicken, they joined the culling after the officials assured of necessary compensation as per government norms. Moreover, thousands of eggs and chicken food were also buried. The most affected were Malud, Fatehpur, Adalabad, Nalitakudi and Maleswari villages under this block.
“Bird culling within a radius of two kilometre from the affected area has been started as the orders of the District Collector,” Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Secretary Vishal Gagan said.
When contacted, block veterinary officer Rashmiranjan Nanda said awareness was being spread among locals and compensation would be provided to all the farmers.
A ban has also been imposed on the sale and transportation of poultry products within a radius of 10-km from the affected areas, Puri Collector J P Das said. The collector said he has issued orders to stop supply of eggs for mid-day meals in schools and anganwadi centres.
An outbreak of bird flu was suspected after more than 20,000 hens and crows were found dead Thursday. The blood samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. The samples tested positive for the H5N1 virus, Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Girija Patnaik said.
The administration is dealing with the matter seriously, as the affected areas are close to the Chilika lake, where a large number of migratory birds are congregating for the winter.
A joint team of forest and veterinary officials had earlier gone to Chilika lake and collected stool samples of about 150 migratory birds.
The team has sent samples to the ADRI for examination. However, the CDVO said: “There has been no indication of bird flu in the Chilika lake area so far. Steps are being taken to save the winged guests from the virus.”
PNN