More crows found dead in Patna, Siwan and Muzaffarpur

PATNA: Bird flu scare persisted after several crows were found dead in different parts of the state, including Digha area in Patna, on Monday.
Around 10 crows were reportedly found dead in Digha, 10 at Raghunathpur in Siwan and around 12 at Chandanpatti in Sakra block of Muzaffarpur districts on Monday.
Senior animal husbandry department (AHD) officials said experts as well as sanitization workers were sent to all the three places.“After taking samples for H5N1 test at Regional Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Kolkata, the dead crows were buried scientifically 10 feet under the ground and bleaching powder was spread in the area,” a senior official in the AHD said.
The official said the massive exercise of culling of birds, including poultry chicken and ducks, in Munger was completed on Sunday. “Total 2,679 birds were culled in four villages, including Mubarakpur in Asarganj block,” the AHD official said.
Meanwhile, Patna zoo is awaiting reports of the first samples of dead peafowls sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) at Bhopal on December 30. “The report is to come in a day or two, following which we would sent fresh samples for H5N1 virus test. The decision to open the zoo will be taken only after both tests turn negative,” principal chief conservator of forest DK Shukla told TOI.
The zoo has been shut since December 25 following the death of six peafowls due to H5N1 virus. NIHSAD and RDDL had confirmed that the peafowls died due to avian influenza (H5N1 virus). He said sanitization works for containment of bird flu at the zoo continued on Monday.
AHD has also collected over 600 samples from poultry farms and shops as a part of serum surveillance conducted in the 9km radius of Patna zoo to assess the spread of avian influenza virus outside its premises. Those samples have also been sent to NIHSAD and RDDL.
Meanwhile, College of Arts and Crafts, Patna reopened after four days on Monday. The college authorities had suspended classes after the death of a dozen birds, including crows, falcon and owl, on the campus.