Forest Dept forms teams following death of birds

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 10

Following the death of about 50 birds, including 37 ducks, in the open wildlife sanctuary Ferozepur, the Bathinda Forest Department swang into action to avoid any chance of panic to prevail and had formed two different teams. Earlier, in December 2014, at least 20 crows were found dead near a water course at Patrewala village of Balluana segment in Fazilka district.

However, earlier too, the authorities of the Bathinda Deer Safari Park took necessary precautions after the verification of bird flu virus found in birds in the Sukhna lake Chandigarh and then the death of birds Fatehgarh Sahib, geese in Jind, Haryana and the crows in Tarn Taran district of Punjab.

The Bathinda Health Department, too, on instructions of the state health department had made an isolation ward as precautionary measure for suspected patient, if any, affected with bird flu reaches hospital.

Ducks and birds are available in the Deer Safari Park at Beer Talab but the Forest Department in Bathinda took precautionary steps and started spraying of the medicines around the cages of ducks to avoid any virus or unhealthy germs let enter.
District Forest Officer, Sanjeev Kumar, “Two teams had been made to conduct the checking in village to
village in whole district and will collect information from all the employees and officials concerned with Forest Department.”
“We have received the instructions from the state government following which we have instructed the workers here to cover their mouths with mask and not to go too near the ducks or other birds. Public entry is allowed but there is no rush these days. Instructions to the public are also given to avoid going near the cages and the birds. The care takers of the park also keeps a vigil over the visitors to warn them going near the cages even as there is no such risk of virus here and none of the bird death has been reported. Workers used to feed the ducks, in cage, only after covering their hands with gloves. The ducks were also checked up earlier to confirm any virus in them but nothing was reported dangerous,” added Sanjeev.