Amid bird flu concerns, culling of poultry begins in Dharashiv district

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The administration in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv, earlier Osmanabad, has culled nearly 300 poultry birds in the Dhoki area after a few samples from there tested positive for bird flu, an official said on Thursday.

The culling is being carried out in a 10-km radius, he said.

Bird flu is a type of influenza that affects birds, particularly poultry, but can also be transmitted to humans.

Concerns over avian influenza rose in Dhoki after many crows were found dead in the area last month. Samples tested by Bhopal-based ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases showed bird flu infection, the official said.

Subsequently, more samples of poultry birds raised by locals were sent to the lab and some of them came positive for avian influenza, he said.

A 10-km containment zone was then created in Dhoki and the culling of birds started on Wednesday with the help of five teams. By evening, the teams culled 295 birds, the official said.

The area has no poultry farms and mostly hens, ducks and roosters from households are being culled. The owners are being compensated as per the applicable government policy, the official added.