Bird flu outbreak: Jammu and Kashmir administration on alert

Jammu and Kashmir administration has started taking precautionary steps after a few cases of the H5N8 strain of bird flu have been reported in some states. A joint team of animal husbandry and wildlife departments visited the Gharana wetland and collected 25 bird droppings for testing.

Jammu: Amid the bird flu scare in some parts of the country, the Jammu and Kashmir administration sounded an alert on Tuesday and started collecting samples from migratory species as Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reported cases of avian influenza.

The joint teams of the animal husbandry and wildlife departments in the Union Territory also visited the Gharana wetland in the outskirts of Jammu and collected 25 bird droppings for testing to ascertain whether any of the birds are infected with avian influenza.

Talking with ETV Bharat, Director animal husbandry, Jammu, Vivek Sharma said that the administration is taking precautionary steps as few cases of the H5N8 strain of bird flu have been reported in some states.

"The department is collecting samples to check the health of the winged guests flocking the Gharana wetland in the Union Territory during winters so that they are healthy and safe," she said.

She further said that Jammu and Kashmir has, so far, not reported any such case but the alert had been sounded as a precautionary measure.

Gharana Wetland Conservation Reserve in R S Pura sector near the International Border was notified in 1981 and is home to more than 170 species of birds like bar-headed geese, gadwalls, common teals, purple swamp hens, Indian moorhens, black-winged stilts, cormorants, egrets and greenshanks.

During the winter, the wetland is visited by thousands of birds from Central Asia and some of the migratory bird species visiting this wetland are endangered.

The animal husbandry department officials said there was no need for alarm as of now.