Bird flu kills 3 tigers, 1 leopard in Nagpur: Zoos, forest officials take special measures

“There is a red alert throughout the state and we have followed all the protocols given by the government to limit bird flu spread, even checking the feed given to tigers for traces of flu virus,” N R Praveen, Chief Conservator of Forest, Pune, said.

There are five transit treatment centres in Pune and Solapur.

Deputy Director Suchitra Patil of Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre in Katraj said after the Nagpur deaths, they have swiftly put some measures in place for ensuring the safety of all animals. She said as per the guidelines of Central Zoo Authority (CZA), animal cages are cleaned daily using disinfectants, zookeepers clean themselves and use sanitisers before entering the cages, gloves are used frequently, no feeding vehicle is allowed to enter directly, blood samples of animals are taken routinely, health checking is done by the vet whenever required, meat is cleaned using boiled water to maintain feeding standards for wild cats, and quarantine wards are maintained inside the zoo.

She added that there are two tigress (one white) and two tigers at the zoo, apart from two lionesses, one lion and two female leopards. There are other animals as well at the zoo including hyenas, jackals, wolves, jungle cat, bears, Indian gaur, spotted deer, four-horned antelope, elephants, Indian gazelle, blackbuck, barking deer, etc. The zoo also has a snake park.

Animal husbandry officials said cases of Avian Influenza virus affecting mammals is not unheard of and has been reported from across the world. These jumps happen when infected birds come in close contact with wildlife. “At present it has happened in mammals and the forest department is keeping a close watch,” an official said. While humans have been infected with the virus, human to human transmission has yet not happened.

Under animal quarantine norms, once a case of avian flu is discovered in domesticated birds, all poultry birds are to be culled. The present case does not require any such action as of now, the official added.

Meanwhile in Nagpur, two animal keepers, who were looking after four animal cages, have been isolated following the death of three tigers and one leopard. Shatanik Bhagwat, divisional manager at the centre, told The Indian Express that disinfection measures have been intensified.