Last month, many crows were found dead in the area which raised concerns over avian influenza among the locals
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The administration in Dharashiv city in Maharashtra, earlier known as Osmanabad, has slaughtered nearly 300 poultry birds in the Dhoki area after a few samples from there tested positive for bird flu, an official said on Thursday, PTI reported.
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He said that the culling is being carried out in a 10-km radius.
Bird flu is a type of influenza that affects the birds, particularly poultry, but can also be transmitted to human beings.
Last month, many crows were found dead in the area which raised concerns over avian influenza among the locals. Samples tested by Bhopal-based ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases showed bird flu infection, the official said, PTI reported.
Subsequently, more samples of poultry birds raised by locals were sent to the lab and few of them came positive for avian influenza, he said.
A 10-km containment zone was then created in Dhoki and the culling of birds started on Wednesday with the assistance of five teams. By evening, the teams culled 295 birds, the official said, PTI reported.
The area has no poultry farms and mostly hens, ducks and roosters from households are being culled. The owners are being compensated as per the applicable government policy, the official added, PTI reported.
Maharashtra: Missing tiger spotted in Dharashiv, to be captured
While the Maharashtra forest department is making all possible efforts to capture the tiger that walked 500 kilometres from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal to Solapur, the forest department officials told mid-day that the foliage and undergrowth are causing a challenge to dart the tiger, which has been sighted in Dharashiv.
Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Kushagra Pathak from the Solapur Forest Department said, “We are continuously monitoring the movement of the tiger using camera traps and drones. We have the location of the tiger, but we are unable to dart the tiger as there is no clear view due to the foliage. The tiger is currently in the Dharashiv division, and there have been few instances of cattle kills. Our teams are present on the ground, and we are hopeful of capturing the tiger soon.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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