CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR/NASHIK: The Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases has confirmed bird flu as the cause of mass crow deaths in Latur’s Udgir. Significantly, its findings differ from those of the Pune-based Western Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which earlier held that a bacterial infection had caused the crow deaths.
The animal husbandry departments of Latur and Nashik have begun alerting poultry farmers and owners to the risk of a larger outbreak. The Latur district administration too has swung into action.
With two more crow deaths reported on Monday, the death count in Udgir has increased to 64. All the dead birds were found in and around two public gardens in the town and a nearby overhead tank. Shridhar Shinde, deputy commissioner of Latur’s animal husbandry department, told TOI on Monday the area within a 10-km radius of the two gardens had been declared an alert zone.
“We are keeping a watch on poultry farms, backyard poultries, and chicken shops in the alert zone,” he said.