Chhatbir zoo shuts aviary for visitors

Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Mohali, January 5

The walk-in aviary and bird enclosures at the Chhatbir zoo have been closed for visitors as a precautionary measure keeping in view the bird flu scare in the region. The zoo authorities have already implemented the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the state government. The walk-in aviary at the zoo is the longest in the country with 45 species of birds and is a major attraction for the visitors.

Officials said the aviary, set up on nearly two acres, would remain closed for at least one week, depending on the report of the samples taken from the region. Zoo field director M Sudhagar said, ‘’All samples taken from Punjab are clear till now. However, as a precautionary measure, the aviary and the bird enclosures in the zoo have been closed for at least one week.”

All the bio-security measures are being taken, and birds in the nearby forests are being watched, he added.

Cleanliness in the bird enclosures is also being reviewed from time to time. “We are closely coordinating with the state Veterinary Department and our veterinarians are also on alert,” he said.

Although there have been no confirmed cases of bird flu in the region, the mass death of poultry in Barwala have raised concerns in the tricity. Veterinarians expressed the hope that the avian flu, problematic in the peak winter, is likely to subside after January.