Another disease suspected; flock of migratory birds found dead in Jodhpur

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• Nov 9, 2021 | moderator

Jodhpur: Health officials suspected another deadly disease in Jodhpur after more than 80 migratory birds died. More than 80 demoiselle cranes have been found dead in the Karpada village of the district in the past three days.

Carcasses of the migratory birds. They are also known as Kurjan. The dead bodies of these birds were first spotted by local wildlife activist Bhajan Lal Nain on Saturday.

He notified the wildlife department and other wildlife activists, following which the forest department turned into operation and assigned a crew including veterinarians to the spot.

Senior veterinarian Sharavan Singh Rathore stated that around 100 sick birds are being treated, and prima facie are infected with Ranikhet disease.

Ranikhet disease, also known as Newcastle disease in the west, is an acute viral infection that affects the respiratory system and is deadly.

"We immediately started our investigation and found the deaths caused by Ranikhet disease based on symptoms. To make sure that the infection did not spread to other birds, we disposed of the carcasses at a distant place in deep pits to do away with the possibility of dogs or other animals digging them out", stated a forest official.

Earlier, many migratory birds died of Avian Botulism in Sambhar Lake of Rajasthan in November 2019. The NGT had intervened in these mass deaths and had formed a panel for the probe.