Activists seek bird flu scan at Sultanpur

GURUGRAM: In the wake of an avian flu outbreak reported in Ahmedabad and Mysore, activists have called for an advisory for Sultanpur National Park, highlighting an urgent need to conduct an inspection at the sanctuary.
In the last two days, six birds were affected by avian influenza (H5N8) in Mysore. In Ahmedabad, seven samples from bird carcasses and three blood serum samples at an NGO tested positive for avian flu.
Sudhir Garg — a city-based bird watcher — said, “As birds fly thousands of kilometres in a day, infection can spread immediately so measures need to be taken at the earliest.”
Another activist and a veterinary doctor, Dr Manvir Singh said, “I don’t see any reason why no advisory has been issued to at least carry out inspection. Both migratory and residential birds are at risk.”
Suggesting that the officials at the sanctuary should conduct a physical monitoring, Amit Chaudhery, president of People For Animal, Gurgaon, said, “Sultanpur has animals such as jackals, foxes and blue bulls and they all are at risk. Many of them are Schedule 1 animals. The carriers of infection are also present in the excreta of the birds. It is very foolish and irresponsible of the concerned officials to not take any action.”
Insisting that there is no need to panic, a senior official at the sanctuary said, “There is no need to panic as avian flu has not been reported in Haryana. Besides, we have been regularly taking all the steps to monitor the situation in the park. No infection has been reported yet at the sanctuary.”