After deaths of migratory birds due to avian flu were reported in Delhi, an alert was sounded in Rajasthan over the weekend, asking authorities and the public at large to keep a watch on the health of birds and take precautionary measures to check the likely outbreak of bird flu in the State.
A communiqué received by the State government from Delhi’s Animal Husbandry Minister Gopal Rai stated that the bird flu virus was detected in migratory birds in the national capital and there was a continuous movement of birds from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to Delhi.
Mr. Rai has requested the neighbouring States to sensitise the authorities to these incidents.
State Medical and Health Minister Rajendra Rathore has directed the medical officers to take special precaution in the districts such as Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner, where migratory birds arrive in large numbers in the current season. The health of migratory birds will be monitored in the world-famous Keoladeo National Park, Tal Chhapar sanctuary and Darrah wildlife sanctuary, which are also popular as tourist destinations.
Survey on bird deathsAccording to the official sources, the Animal Husbandry Department is monitoring the transportation of poultry and related products between Rajasthan and Delhi and coordinating with the Forest department to conduct a survey of the recent deaths of birds in forest areas, sanctuaries and national parks. It has also alerted poultry farms situated in large numbers in Ajmer district.
In the Jaipur zoo, the administration has obtained serum samples of all bird species and sent them to the State Bird Laboratory for tests. Besides, all the birds in the zoo are being administered anti-infection fluid.
