As many as 16,976 birds in duck farms located across the three villages of Neendoor, Kallara and Vechur were culled by the officials over the last two days to combat bird flu.
Officials said the culling operations had been completed at Neendoor and Kallara, while slaughtering of the remaining stock at Vechur was slated for Friday. The authorities had identified about 28,000 to 35,0000 birds for culling to ensure the containment of the virus.
The rapid response team, divided into 10 groups, began the culling operations on Wednesday and killed 11,268 ducks in three panchayats on the first day. The second day, meanwhile witnessed the culling of 5,708 ducks from the Kattamada region at Vechur.
The ducks killed on the second day belonged to Madanam (3,000), Suresh Kumar (425), Sunimon (1,500) and Baiju (783), all major duck farmers of the region. Following the slaughtering, the ducklings were burned in a pit and the farms were subjected to disinfection drives.
The operations are being jointly carried out by the Animal Husbandry and Health departments, and the local bodies. The operations are continuing without a break under heavy police deployment and with the help of the Fire and Rescue Services department.
The duck farmers of northern Kuttanad, already reeling under the impact of back-to-back floods and COVID-19, are in a new flap following the outbreak of this highly contagious virus. With previous outbreaks in mind that saw thousands of birds culled and significant economic losses, the latest outbreak has left them completely devastated.
Duck farming, after paddy, is one of the mainstay of many villages across the backwater landscape here. Nearly all households in the region keep at least a few of these birds in their backyards, which are a consistent source of income for several families and form the crux of their food security, besides offering jobs to locals.
The reports of bird flu outbreak, which sits next door to some of the most renowned international tourist destinations, including Kumarakom, came at a time when the pandemic-hit tourism industry was looking for a revival.
