Over 100 peacocks die of suspected Ranikhet disease in Rajasthan

The sudden spike in the deaths of the birds has sparked fear among locals who say this may be an outbreak of the highly contagious disease locally known as Ranikhet.

Pali (Rajasthan): Over a hundred peacocks have died in the Rohat sub-division in Rajasthan's Pali district during the last couple of days owing to a fresh outbreak of Ranikhet disease.

The sudden spike in the deaths of the birds has sparked fear among locals who say this may be an outbreak of the highly contagious disease locally known as Ranikhet.

The samples of the bodies of these peacocks were sent to Bhopal for examination by the veterinary department, but the status of their deaths could not be confirmed even there.

However, the provincial wildlife official has said their teams are providing assistance in the affected villages and working to investigate the deaths of the birds.

Senior Veterinary Officer of Poultry Training Institute, Ajmer, Dr Alok Khare said that the Ranikhet virus is very active in the state, following which birds are dying in various places.

"In Ajmer, a large number of chickens have died due to the virus. After this, the Aosta vaccine has also been given to more than 1,000 peacocks. Peacocks will be given this vaccine along with their drinking water. For this, vessels of drinking water will be kept at different places," he added.