Amid bird flu scare, four crows found dead in Gujarat's Junagadh

Junagadh, Jan 09: Even as Gujarat recorded its first confirmed cases of bird flu, four crows were found dead at a village in Mangrol taluka in the state's Junagadh district, an official said on Saturday. The state on Friday recorded its first cases of bird flu after samples taken from two dead lapwings recovered in the district tested positive for the infection.

"We found carcasses of four crows at Loej village on Friday evening. The remains will be sent to a laboratory in Bhopal to ascertain the cause of death," said Ashok Kumbhani, veterinary officer of Mangrol veterinary dispensary in the district. Out of 10 birds found in the area, four were dead at the spot and six are currently under treatment," the official said.

"The department is surveying the area where the dead birds were found and a probe was underway," the official said.

In the last few days, four crows each were found dead in Surat and Mehsana districts, and test results of the samples taken from them are awaited, an official said.

The Gujarat government had sounded an alert about bird flu on January 5 and instructed officials to take necessary steps. The Centre had said that bird flu has been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.