Tracking bird flu: UT keeping eye on migratory birds in wetlands

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 10

As the coronavirus and avian influenza (bird flu) scare continues, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is doing round-the-clock monitoring of wetlands, hosting thousands of migratory birds during winter months.

Sources said the animal husbandry department and the wildlife department had constituted special teams to track the bird flock of various species. They said observers had been deployed and regular blood samples were being collected by field teams which were being sent to testing in laboratories outside the Union Territory (UT).

Thousands of species from Central Asia, China, Siberia and other Arctic regions spend their winter in wetlands in J&K, especially at Gharana in Jammu and Hokersar and Anchar in Kashmir. There are also other small wetlands and marshes where the birds make their homes for a few months.

Although there is a disagreement among scientists in the world over the possible reasons for spread of deadly coronavirus in China, the main focus of scientists in J&K is to track bird flocks for the avian influenza.

“There is no cause for alarm at the moment as no case has been reported in J&K but this year we are extra cautious. Samples are being regularly collected of different species at wetlands. Avian influenza is the main concern,” said Dr Sunil Seru, epidemiologist in the animal husbandry department, Jammu. Officials said the teams deployed were tracking the habits of birds and checking mortality among different species.Chief Wildlife Warden (J&K) Suresh Kumar Gupta said though migratory species were mostly from highlands of Siberia and the Tundra region, which was far away from the epidemic zones in China, the department was leaving nothing to chance.“We have issued required instructions and advisories to the officials concerned in districts,” said Gupta.