Khordha: Amid the bird flu scare in several parts of the country, large volumes of poultry reportedly found dead at a poultry farm in Badaberana village in Odisha in the last three days, officials said.
According to sources, over 700 chickens were found dead at the farm yesterday. Prior to that, carcasses of dozens of chickens were found at the farm.
The exact reason behind the large-scale bird deaths is yet to be ascertained. As per reports, no veterinary doctor has yet visited the farm site to carry out an investigation into the deaths.
Earlier on Wednesday, Odisha chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra had informed that no case of bird flu had been detected in the state yet.
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While claiming that the state is well prepared to face any challenge, the chief secretary asked officials to intensify surveillance activities in order to counter and control any possible outbreak of bird flu.
After a review meeting on the possible bird flu scenario in the State, Mohapatra had said around 11,000 samples from different areas were tested but no case has been found positive.
Fisheries and Animal Resources Development secretary Raghu Prasad said that generally migratory birds are carriers of avian influenza. Therefore, the state has to be very cautious and focus on the places attracting migratory birds.
The state government also launched a training programme for poultry farmers of Khurda, Bhubaneswar and other areas to educate them about precautions needed against possible bird flu outbreak, he added.
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With PTI inputs
