Chandigarh bird toll up, 4 more found dead

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 7

As many as four more birds of different species were found dead in different areas of the city today. Nine birds, including a migratory bird, have been found dead in the city in the past three days.

Prices of chicken fall

Amid fear of bird flu, the prices of chicken and eggs have dropped marginally in the city. After the en masse death of poultry birds in Barwala, the prices of chickens have dropped by Rs20 per kg. A wholesaler said the price of chicken decreased from Rs200 per kg to Rs180 in the city. Similarly, the cost of 100 eggs also fell by nearly Rs100 in the wholesale market. Earlier, 100 eggs were sold for Rs620 to Rs650, but now these are being sold for nearly Rs550 per 100.

Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forests, UT, said one bird each was found dead in Sukhna Lake, Maloya, Sector 36 and Leisure Valley. Two of them were crows and the others were a peacock and a cuckoo, he added. Dalai said a total of eight samples had so far been sent to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar, to ascertain the reason of deaths. Surveillance has been increased at the lake and other water bodies and the forest area in the city, as a precautionary measure to check the spread of virus in case of any eventuality, he added.

Dr Abdul Qayum, Deputy Conservator of Forests, UT, said search and rescue of dead birds had been launched in the Sukhna and the infected birds would be segregated. He said there was no need to panic as symptoms of bird flu were not observed so far in the birds.

Four birds were found dead at regulator end of Sukhna Lake yesterday during patrolling by a team of the Department of Forest and Wildlife, UT, while a common coot was found dead in the lake on Tuesday evening.

The Forest and Wildlife Department today installed five display boards at Sukhna Lake asking general public, bird watchers and volunteers to remain on high alert and note any unnatural symptoms in birds such as diarrheoa, tilting of head, paralysis and sluggish behaviour etc. In an event of noticing any such symptoms, they have been requested to report to the Department of Forest and Wildlife, UT, at 0172-2700217.

Amid fear of avian influenza, the Animal Husbandry Department, UT, has decided to now collect routine samples from backyard poultry farms and water bodies every fortnight.