Thousands of chickens were slaughtered on Thursday evening after bird flu was discovered in the Kuttanad area of Alappuzha district. In Purakkad, where a mass mortality of ducks was verified owing to bird flu, all remaining ducks and poultry within a one-kilometer radius were culled.
The district government has prohibited the sale of eggs, meat, and poultry faces (manure). The district collector’s order would be implemented in Champakkulam, Nedumudy, Muttar, Veeyapuram, Karuvatta, Thrikkunnappuzha, Thakazhi, Purakkad, Ambalapuzha Thekku, Ambalapuzha Vadakku, and Edathua panchayats, and Haripad municipal zone. Arrangements have been taken in Thakazhi panchayat’s Ward 10 to cull and bury all birds within a 10-kilometer radius.
The police have been requested to supervise and facilitate the culling operations. Containment zones have been established in areas where avian flu has been proven. The movement of people and vehicles into and out of this area has been prohibited. Officials from the animal husbandry department would bury the birds with the assistance of fast reaction teams.
Meanwhile, the assistant forest conservator has been tasked with determining if the migrating birds have bird flu.