‘R-Day pigeons suffer from disease’ #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Although its a common strain, wildlife experts are wary of the disease spreading to other animals and are taking no chances

Despite great efforts to nurse the birds back to health, two more of the diseased pigeons, that were released during Republic Day celebrations at the Manekshaw grounds, died within 24 hours of being rescued. Sick pigeons take shine off Republic Day march-past

Ten birds were rescued by wildlife volunteers from the BBMP’s forest cell after they had flopped to the ground. The birds, purchased from Russell Market at a substantial discount, were unhealthy and were unable to fly. Experts say the birds suffer from a strain of avian influenza and are taking every precaution to ensure the virus does not spread.

“Our volunteers are in shock as we lost two more pigeons out of the 10 rescued on Thursday,” Sharath R Babu, honorary wildlife warden, Bangalore Urban said. “It seems most them are suffering from a strain of avian influenza. It’s a disease which afflicts birds kept at Russell Market. The strains of flu differ greatly and while this is a common strain among pigeons from Russell Market, we are not taking any chances as it could spread.”

Said Rajesh M, a wildlife expert, “The flu can spread to other animals. For example if a dog eats an infected bird, the dog too could get infected. So the birds will be buried with lime and salt to ensure the virus does not spread.”

While some birds flew away, at least 20 of the pigeons released during the celebrations just flopped to the ground where they struggled to fly. VVIPs, including the chief minister and the governor were witness to the fiasco. Some of the birds had broken wings, while others had turned blind.

“The flu causes the birds to become weak,” an expert said. “Because of the weakness they don’t have the energy to fly. Infected birds also gradually turn blind and if left untreated, they die.”

BBMP wildlife volunteers say that sending these birds for a flu test would not be necessary as the strain is common. But ensuring the survival of the infected birds is a hard task.

“We are doing all we possibly can to ensure the survival of the rest of the birds, but the chances of their survival are grim,” Sharath said.

Meanwhile, S Harish, the deputy mayor, who played a vital role in getting the birds rescued, is moving to end the practice of releasing birds at official functions.

“We want to put an end this practice,” Harish said. “The incident is an embarrassment for us. We don’t want it repeated. So I will talk to the commissioner and ensure the practice of releasing pigeons is banned henceforth.”   http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2012012820120128044529294cd021cf7/%E2%80%98RDay-pigeons-suffer-from-disease%E2%80%99.html