ABOHAR: As many as 37 ducks and 10 crows were found dead under mysterious circumstances in a village pond near Sitto Guno village, falling under Asia's largest open wildlife sanctuary area in Faziilka district on Friday.
Animal husbandry officials have sent their swab samples to Regional Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar in view of the recent death of geese owing to bird flu in Chandigarh.
Dr PS Danewalia, senior official of Animal Husbandry said he was informed by villagers about the birds. A team of veterinarians was rushed to the spot. None of the dead birds were migratory.
He added that prima-facie it seems that birds have died due to some poison, but as precautionary measures the swab samples of the dead birds were sent to the laboratory. Earlier, on seeing the dead birds, villagers and activists of Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha blocked the Sitto-Dabwali road for couple of hours. They alleged that the post of veterinary doctor in the Asia's largest open area wildlife sanctuary was lying vacant since long. The dharna was lifted only when Jaspal Singh Brar, Tehsildar, Abohar reached the spot and called veterinary doctors to examine the dead birds.
Manjit Singh Brar, Fazilka deputy commissioner, said administration had alerted officials to keep a watch on the birds. All residents in villages in the open wildlife sanctuary had been asked to report any such incident to them.
Meanwhile, wildlife authorities have lifted temporary ban on the entry of visitors and bird watchers to the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary. The ban was imposed in December as precautionary measures in view of the bird flu scare in Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.
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