AURAGABAD: The process to cull birds in Murumba village in Parbhani district and in two villages in
Latur
district, both in Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, began on Tuesday, officials said.
In Murumba village, 5,550 birds will be culled till Wednesday while 4,000 birds were culled in Kendrewadi and Sukni villages in Latur district during the day.
The culling of birds in these two village in Latur was ordered after samples of birds collected were found positive for
bird flu, an official said earlier in the day.
Earlier,
avian influenza was confirmed as the cause of the death of approximate 900 hens at a poultry farm in Murumba.
"Parbhani district administration has decided to cull hens in the periphery of the infected area," an official said.
"In Murumba, pits are being made ready to bury birds. 5,550 birds will be culled by Wednesday," Parbhani district collector Deepak Muglikar told .
He said the villagers were initially not convinced to allow killing of birds.
"But we convinced them and promised compensation for the culled birds," Muglikar said.
The process of culling has also began in Sukni and Kendrewadi villages in Latur, an official told.
Earlier in the day, Latur district collector Pruthviraj B P ordered culling of birds in the 1-km radius from where birds infected with avian influenza were found in Kendrewadi and Sukni.
At least 225 birds have died in Kendrewadi till Monday, while 12 hens have died in Sukni and four in Wanjarwadi of Udgir taluka.
Samples of dead birds from Kendrewadi and Sukni were sent for testing and their results came out positive for the avian influenza infection, an official said, adding that reports of samples from Wanjarwadi are awaited.
"Teams of officials have culled 4,000 out of the estimated 10,000 birds in Kendrewadi and Sukni," the collector said.
As per the prohibitory order issued by Latur administration, vehicles are banned from entering the affected areas in the district. Transport of poultry products, birds, animal feed and manure, movements of villagers, animals will also remain prohibited, as per the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
The directive has ordered that the entrance and premises of the affected poultry should be disinfected with Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Permanganate.
Avian influenza has been confirmed as the cause of the death of different birds in Parbhani, Mumbai, Thane, Beed and Dapoli in Maharashtra so far.