Even as the migratory birds nesting on trees in lakes around Mysuru city are under close watch, the Department of Animal Husbandry here is awaiting the lab reports on the cause of deaths of migratory birds reported on February 15 and 22.
The deaths had been reported from Hebbal and Chamundipuram areas. Two cranes each had been found dead and the samples were sent to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Bengaluru for analysis.
“If the samples test positive for the bird flu (H5N8) at IAHVB, the samples could have also been sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for the second round of analysis. We are awaiting the reports from Bhopal. Avian influenza can be confirmed only on the basis of the Bhopal report,” said Ajit Kumar, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Mysuru.
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While denying reports of fresh deaths of cranes at Hebbal lake, Dr. Kumar said he visited the lake on Tuesday morning following the reports but he found no carcasses of birds. The area where the bird deaths had been reported last month had been sanitised.
Similar deaths of cranes had also been reported in Bengaluru rural district, he said and added that the lab reports can throw light on the source of infection and cause.
Admitting that the bird flu scare has hit the poultry industry, he said the poultry birds are safe with a lot of precautions taken by the owners in the wake of reports of the outbreak in Kerala. Yet, the industry is itself on high alert as the birds are sensitive.
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