Crow deaths in Giridih village

VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR

Hazaribagh, Dec. 1: A sudden spurt of crows deaths, similar to one in Jamshedpur, has triggered panic among residents of Kharagdiha village in Jamua block of Giridih, who have alerted veterinary surgeons fearing an epidemic. Residents have spotted dead crows regularly for the past few days, especially next to trees or in terraces. Besides the scavengers, pigeons and chickens have also died in an unusual manner. Julfikar Ali, a panchayat samiti member and resident of Jamua, said few pigeons at his home died in quick succession on Saturday. He approached government veterinary surgeon Ambuj Kumar who gave medicines to check the deaths. He, however, said the bird deaths were continuing unabated in the last three days. “No steps have been taken by the local administration in this regard,” Ali added. Suresh Kumar, another villager, said that the number of crow deaths were maximum with no less than 50 since the weekend. “This is the first time we have witnessed crow deaths in this manner in our area,” he added. Ram Prakash, a septuagenarian, said, “We had lost various species of birds in the past, including sparrows. Now, it’s the turn of crows.” However, Ambuj argued that radiation from mobile towers could be one of the reasons behind the deaths or the birds might have been the victims of infections that spread from other carriers. Last week, Pune-based National Institute of Virology denied Japanese encephalitis or West Nile virus infection as causes of crow deaths after testing samples in Jamshedpur. http://telegraphindia.com/1111202/jsp/jharkhand/story_14827160.jsp