Bird Flu Scare: Over 100 crows found dead in Delhi Park

Amid the threat of bird flu across several states in the country, over 100 crows have died in the last three to four days at a park in Delhi's Mayur Vihar.

The caretaker of the Mayur Vihar park has said as many as 200 crows have so far died in the past week. Their samples have been sent to Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar in Punjab to ascertain if the crows died from the bird flu. The dead birds were buried in the park, however, sanitization procedures are underway.

Dr Sunil Singh Tomar, Animal Husbandry Dept, said, "We are instructed to keenly monitor, observe the situation and ensure proper sampling. 11 Rapid Response Teams have been formed by the Delhi govt who are monitoring their assigned districts, said Delhi Govt at Gazipur chicken & egg market in Delhi.

Earlier, an official of the animal husbandry unit had said around 50 birds, mostly crows, had died over the last three to four days in Dwarka, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Hastsal village in West Delhi, the ANI reported.

The Centre on Friday requested states and Union Territories to increase awareness regarding the safety of poultry and poultry products. It also issued appropriate advisories to restore consumer confidence affected by rumours.

Bird flu has been reported from at least seven states including Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.