Delhi Zoo issues emergency advisory after bird flu confirmed in dead tigress at Gorakhpur zoo

It instructed that “the staff and workers engaged in the various sections of the zoo, particularly for management of animals scrupulously shall follow the preventive biosafety measures prescribed:

• Work in the zoo wearing uniform only. Do not take uniform, gumboots, and shoes home.
• Medicine should be regularly put in the footpath constructed at the entrance of the enclosures.
• While entering and exiting the wards, soles of the feet, including shoes, should be thoroughly dipped in the footbath.
• Hands should be washed thoroughly with soap before starting work, during work, and after completing work.
• Use cap and mask.
• A bed of lime or bleaching powder should be made in front of the entry and exit of the zoo and enclosures, and while entering and exiting, the soles of the feet, including shoes, should be kept properly on the bed.
• Birds and wild animals should be inspected 2-3 times a day and entries should be made in the beat book. Any notable incident or death of birds and wild animals should be immediately brought to the notice of senior officers.
• The leftover food of birds and wild animals in the zoo should be disposed of safely so that it is not eaten by other birds and animals found in the zoo, such as sparrows, crows, eagles, pigeons, rats, cats, etc.
• Ensure that the utensils, pitchers, trays, mugs, buckets, etc used by the birds and wild animals in the zoo are not used by other birds and animals found in the zoo, like sparrows, crows, eagles, pigeons, rats, cats, etc.
• The utensils containing food and water should be cleaned thoroughly every day.
• The garbage and waste material coming out daily from the enclosures of birds and wild animals in the zoo should be disposed of safely so that it is not eaten by other birds and animals found in the zoo, like sparrows, crows, eagles, pigeons, rats, cats, etc.

All section officers must ensure strict compliance with the above safety rules in their respective sections.”

Emphasising timely reporting of various animal health parameters, the memo said, “Any unusual mortality in poultry and/or any other species shall be reported immediately,” adding that in the event of any symptoms resembling avian influenza among major feline species like lion, tiger, or leopard, the “veterinary officer must ensure the collection and sending samples to IVRI, Bareilly/ ICAR – NIHSAD, Bhopal following the due procedure.”

Oversight responsibilities have been explicitly assigned. “The Joint Director, NZP will monitor the hygiene and other components of bio–safety measures prescribed and Veterinary Officer will monitor the overall health of the animals and take appropriate measures, and they will submit the weekly report,” it stated.

While the Delhi Zoo remains open to the public – unlike those in Uttar Pradesh which have been shut till May 20 – precautionary protocols have been heightened. Earlier this month, the death of a tigress named Shakti at Gorakhpur Zoo was followed by laboratory confirmation of the H5 strain of bird flu by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. Authorities are also investigating the deaths of a leopard and a wolf in the same zoo.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr. Sanjeet Kumar said, “We are assessing the situation, and an advisory has been issued for the preventive biosecurity measures to be adopted by the sanitary and veterinary section. The zoo will remain open to the public.”

Earlier in the day, a senior zoo official had stated, “We are watching closely, and if any signs are observed, we will act accordingly. But for now, all is okay and the zoo is not being closed.”

The current advisory aligns with the Central Zoo Authority’s (CZA) standing protocols, which are rooted in the National Action Plan on the Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza, last revised in 2021.

Earlier this year, in response to a separate H5N1 detection at a rescue centre in Nagpur, the CZA had issued a circular advising all zoos to tighten surveillance, isolate symptomatic animals, and coordinate with institutions like ICAR–IVRI and NIHSAD for diagnosis and response.