JAIPUR: The city zoo at Ramniwas Bagh has been shut for visitors until further orders after four birds — three common ducks and a black stork — died on Monday allegedly due to avian influenza.
The zoo administration has sent the swab samples of the birds to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in Bhopal for confirmation.
A zoo official said, “The zoo has been closed for visitors till further orders. An exercise to disinfect the area has been started. We are also medicating the birds to increase their immunity. Ponds of water birds are been cleaned.”
Chief wildlife warden M L Meena said, “Primarily, it appears that the bird deaths did not occur due to the flu, but we are taking all precautionary measures and sent the samples for testing. There are 377 birds of different species at the zoo.”
Out of 33 districts, bird flu has spread in 15 after samples of dead birds in Tonk and Karauli were found positive.
On Monday, 371 bird deaths were reported taking the overall toll to 3,321. Samples from districts such as Jhalawar, Kota, Baran, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Hanumangarh, Dausa, Pali, Sirohi, Pratapgarh and Jaisalmer have already tested positive.
An official said, H5N8 subtype of Influenza-A virus has been reported in samples of dead birds collected from the districts.
A senior official of the animal husbandry department said the test report from Jhalawar poultry was negative. In addition, samples of dead birds sent from Sikar, Bhilwara and Churu have also tested negative.