Himachal's Pong Dam Sanctuary experiences mass bird deaths
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Shimla, Jan 5: According to initial reports, more than 1700 migratory birds have died in Pong Dam of Himachal Pradesh under mysterious circumstances. The updated reports have taken the death toll of birds of various species of migratory birds on a hike of 2,400 birds, out of which 600 have been reported to have died on Jan 4. The Wildlife officials of Dharmshala have also confirmed the reports.
The Pong Dam Wetland is an international Ramsar site, that hosts more than 1 lakh migratory birds of 100 species that fly thousands of kilometres from Mongolia, Siberia, trans-Himalayan region and Central Asia in winter every year. The recent news is a serious setback on this account.
Around 95 per cent of birds that were found dead in the Pong Dam Sanctuary were the Bar Headed Geese that migrate from Siberia and Mongolia. The scientists believe that the birds would have died of viral or bacterial infections. Another possible explanation to the situation might be the emergence of a flu since the birds are dying in large numbers.
The forest officials have collected more than 15 samples from different locations. These samples have been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, High Security Animal Disease Laboratory situated in Bhopal and to the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar in order to determine the cause of death. The final reports are expected to reveal the cause of the mass bird deaths by Jan 5.
Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati has said that “As a precautionary measure, sale of poultry products and fish has been also banned in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions.” He also added that the samples were also being collected from poultry farms in the area and people have been told stop grazing and farming activities in peripheral areas.