Bird-flu scare : Assam state zoo authority bans poultry entry

Assam forest department has also been alerted about the issue and the state government has already temporary banned the import of poultry in view of the outbreak of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza in many states of the country.

The veterinary doctors and curators of the state zoo are monitoring the birds and other animals in daily basis.

Tejas Mariswamy, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Assam State Zoo said that, the state zoo authority has taken all precautionary measures to protect birds.

“As soon as we got the confirmation that bird-flu already spread in many states, we have immediately banned poultry entry in the state zoo. We had used to chicken meat to leopard, small cats, jungle cats etc and now we have replaced it to other meat,” Tejas Mariswamy said.

The DFO of the state zoo also said that, the state zoo authorities are conducting sanitization drive inside the state zoo twice in a day.

“The visitors are now coming into the state zoo and they can also carry bird-flu virus. So, we are sanitizing the entire zoo in the morning and evening in daily basis. Every vehicle and every person are also being sanitized at the entry point of the state zoo,” the DFO said.

There are 45 species of bird including aerial and aquatic birds in the Assam State Zoo.