Nashik: Culling of birds begins in Nandurbar, Dhule districts

NASHIK: Nandurbar and Dhule became the third and fourth districts in Nashik division respectively to be affected by the outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu).
While in Ahmednagar and Nashik districts wild birds or the backyard poultry were found positive for the flu, in Nawapur taluka of Nandurbar chicken from organized broiler poultry farm tested positive for H5N8 — a strain of the avian influenza virus.
District collector of Nandurbar Rajendra Bharud, taking cognizance of the death of around 31,000 poultry birds in Nandurbar district and samples testing positive for the avian flu, has ordered culling zone within 1-km radius and surveillance zone of around 10-km radius from the site of the incident.
Around 31,400 birds were culled till Sunday evening in Nandurbar and as many as 12 teams carried out the exercise, while 44 teams have reached the taluka and another 40 are expected to reach the site by Monday morning.
“While the birds in the zone will be culled in scientific manner, all poultry feed will also be destroyed in the same manner ensuring containing of the spread of the disease to birds in other parts of the taluka and the district. The birds in backyard poultry will also be culled. At this point in time no poultry birds or equipment will be allowed to be moved from the zone.” Bharud said.
Similarly in Dhule, district collector Sanjay Yadav has announced the culling zone in Mehergaon village where the poultry birds had died and the samples were tested positive for the infection and surveillance zone in the radius of 10-km.
Bhimraj Darade, sub-divisional officer for Dhule, said, “The transport of poultry and related goods from the surveillance zone has also been banned.”
There is at least one more poultry in the region and the animal husbandry department is keeping a close look on the development in the poultry. As of now about 26,000 bird in the poultry in the village along with about 500-odd birds in the houses of the locals will be culled.
Animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh, who rushed to Nandurbar, has asked the officials to immediately collect samples from the poultry farms in the area and send them for testing.