Bird Flu In Odisha: Chicken Culling Stepped Up, 5,000 Birds Culled In Pipili

Bhubaneswar: After confirmation of bird flu in Pipili area of Odisha’s Puri district, the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department on Sunday intensified steps to cull around 20,000 chickens in the area.

While it has been decided to cull over 20,000 chickens from 43 firms in Pipili area, more than 5,000 birds in a poultry farm have so far been culled by special Rapid Response Team (RRT).

According to sources, a 12-member team has been formed to carry out the mass culling in the area hit by bird flu scare.

The culling operation started at Abalpur near Pipili and so far over 5,000 birds have been culled. Apart from Abalpur, birds in farms at Baligaan, Nuagadi and other adjacent villages will also be culled. “We have set a target to cull over 20,000 chickens in the area,” said a senior official.

After culling, all the chickens were disposed of safely and buried with the feeders as per protocols, he said, adding that people in the area have also been made aware of the highly contagious disease and advised to stay away from consuming chickens for the time being.

The farms are also being also sanitized after the culling exercise and the government has assured the farmers that they would be provided with compensation.

The outbreak of avian flu in the area was confirmed after samples sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh tested positive for the influenza.

Thereafter, the block authorities initiated measures to contain the outbreak and it was decided to carry out the culling operation.

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu is considered highly pathogenic and can also be transmitted to animals such as pigs, horses, large cats, dogs, and occasionally humans, sources said.