Experts rules out bird flu case in Chilka lake

Bhubaneswar, Feb 22 (UNI) The Chilka Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, which attracts lakhs of migratory birds far from the Himalayan kingdom, Siberia, Mongolia and China, is free from the killer bird flu, experts say.

Wildlife experts were perturbed when hundreds of migratory birds were found dead at the Nalbana Bird sanctuary inside the Chilka lake in the wake of the Bird flu in some parts of Asian countries.

But the sample test of the blood and the Carcass of the dead birds, on being tested, were found negative bringing much relief to the wildlife experts in the state.

Chilka Development Authority(CDA) Chief Executive Ajit Kumar Pattnaik said the samples of as many as 25 migratory species were sent to the High Security Animal Disease Lab(HSADL) in Bhopal to confirm the H5N1 virus but the reports turned out to be negative.

He said this year around 6.70 lakhs migratory birds from as many as 102 species had arrived in the lake, considered as the flying route for the migratory birds in Asia, during the winter and some of them died inside the Nalbana bird sanctuary spread over 15 sq kms inside the lake.

Mr.Pattnaik said on hearing the death of few migratory birds, the expert from the Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS) and the HSADL arrived at the lake to find out whether the death was caused due to the Avian influenza.

The experts, initially suspected it to be case of Bird Flu and then collected the blood samples from the sick as well as the dead birds to ascertain the real findings.

But all the test reports, the CDA Chief Executive said were found negative and the Chilka Lake was declared free from Bird flu.

MORE UNI DP TJP RN 1306