25 Peacocks and Other Birds Found Dead in Khurda Forest

At Madhapur village forest under Khurda Forest Division on Tuesday morning, the villagers found the mysterious death of around 25 peacocks and a large number of other bird species, including pigeons, crows and cranes. This sparked fears of bird flu outbreak in the  state.

According to the reports, The birds were found lying dead near a water body at Madhupur village forest under Khurda Forest Division. Immediately, the villagers informed Forest officials of Khurda and Chandaka divisions, who rushed to the spot and recovered the carcasses.

25 Peacocks and Other Birds Found Dead in Khudra Forest

Chandaka DFO Manoj Mohapatra said that “Some carcasses have been sent to OUAT for the preliminary examination. Samples would be sent to Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) of State Veterinary Department and National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSD), Bhopal, for determining the nature of deaths”.

“Nothing, however, is ruled out as yet. The cause of death will be confirmed after test reports come. An expert team from OUAT will also visit the site for ground examinations,” Chandaka DFO Akshay Patnaik said.

The peacocks were the resident birds with the community tolerant to their presence since years. Moreover, the birds had not created any nuisance like damaging crops. The forest department is investigating this case. Also, there is no tell-tale sign of poisoning substances on the ground and the water samples from the water body have been sent for testing. Sources said that In the event of deliberate poisoning too such a large number of birds feeding or drinking at the same time was a distant possibility.

As the forest lies on the edge of Chandaka Dompada Wildlife Sanctuary and close to the Chilika lagoon this mass bird deaths have kept the officials high alert. PCCF Wildlife S S Srivastav said that “Samples will also be collected from different parts of the lagoon and sent to ADRI for testing”. “We are waiting for the report and all necessary steps will be taken to prevent any untoward turn”, he added.

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