Karnataka: 60 cranes found dead in Chikkaballapura

CHIKKABALLAPURA: Over 60 cranes were found dead on the banks of a tank and on nearby trees in Kadalaveni village of Gauribidanur taluk in Chikkaballapura, triggering fears of bird flu.
Villagers spotted dozens of carcasses of the birds and immediately informed veterinary department officials, who rushed to the spot and collected samples from the carcasses for analysis.
Dr Raghavendra, assistant director of veterinary and animal husbandry department, said the samples have been sent to Bengaluru for analysis and further steps would be taken after receipt of the report.
‘No case of bird flu so far’
He said so far no case of bird flu has been reported from the state and the reason for death of these migratory birds is to be ascertained. However, as a precaution, steps have been taken for ‘deep burial’ of the carcasses, Dr Raghavendra added.
Dr TV Janardhan, deputy director of the department, said as there were many shrubs and trees in the area, many birds got stuck to the trees and the authorities sought the fire brigade’s help to remove the carcasses.
Preliminary investigation suggests the birds may have died due to malnutrition or Ranikhet disease (Kokkare roga).
He said last week also a few cranes were found dead near Gopalakrishna Amani tank off Chikkaballapura and their samples were sent for analysis. They were negative for bird flu. Chikkaballapura deputy commissioner R Latha clarified no bird flu case has been reported from anywhere in the district, adding steps have been taken to keep a close watch on bird deaths.