Crow death specter spreads to Jajpur
KENDRAPADA: The mysterious epidemic that claimed many crows in the port town
of Paradip recently has now spread to Jajpur Road of
Jajpur
district, with about 150 crow deaths reported in Jajpur Road area over the
past two days, triggering panic among residents who have been advised by experts
not to touch the carcasses.
"Recently many crows have died due to the deadly bird flu disease or H5N1
virus in areas of Jharkhand, bordering Odisha. We are on the alert since the
crows started dying in Jajpur Road," said Dr Kailash Chandra Mohanty, chief
district veterinary officer (CDVO) of Jajpur on Thursday.
"We are organizing workshops and training and distributing pamphlets
detailing the dos and don'ts regarding crow deaths. It will basically pertain to
the correct methods of using kits and handling crow carcasses. The surveillance
unit has been asked to procure special kits comprising gloves, masks and other
tools," said Dr Chitta Ranjan Swain of Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI)
of Bhubaneswar. This apart, hoardings will also be put up to inform people about
safe ways to handle and dispose of the dead scavengers and prevent the spread of
the avian virus to poultry and human beings, he added.
Swain suspects Pasturella, E-coli viruses are largely responsible for the
abrupt rise in death of crows in Paradip and Jajpur Road. "Bulging eyes,
constant fluid discharge from the mouth, moderation in feather flap, imbalance
in their posture are a few symptoms of the crows affected by the Pasturella and
E-coil virus," he said.
"In the past few weeks, we have noticed a relative increase in the death of
crows and possibly it could be due to these viruses but we need to corroborate
the claims with a medical report. People were also being instructed to sprinkle
lime over the carcasses and also at the place where the crows are being buried,"
Swain said.
Recently the Indian Veterinary Research Institute's (IVRI) Bhopal centre held
the avian influenza virus, H5N1, responsible for crow deaths in Jharkhand.
Veterinary officials on Thursday collected carcasses in Jajpur and sent two of
those to the Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) in Bhubaneswar to
ascertain the role of virus in the crow deaths. Some of the carcasses were sent
to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kolkata to identify the exact
reasons behind the crow deaths, said Dr Mohanty.
Sudhanshu Parida, an environmentalist and the secretary of the district unit
of People for Animals, which deals with environmental issues, on Thursday
demanded a scientific study to find out the reason behind the spate of crow
deaths in the state. Besides bird flu, various other factors like radiation from
mobile phone towers, exposure to cold and other diseases could also be
responsible for the crow deaths, Parida said.
He also stressed on the need to study behavioural pattern of the birds like
where they build their nests, their eating habits and issues like pollution and
the depleting green cover. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Crow-death-specter-spreads-to-Jajpur/articleshow/11302777.cms
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