Over 1700 Migratory Birds Found Dead in Himachal’s Pong Dam Lake

Over 1800 migratory birds especially the bar-headed geese were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Himachal Pradesh’s Pong Dam Lake. The bar-headed geese are birds that migrate from Siberia and Mongolia. 

It is said that a total of 1.15 to 1.20 lakh birds migrate to Pong Dam lake in the winters and remain in the sanctuary for at least four months. 

Some of the species that are found there are the northern pintail, the Eurasian coot, the common teal, the common pochard, the northern shoveler, the great cormorant, the Eurasian wigeon, and the ruddy shelduck. Most of the bird deaths have occurred in the Jagmoli and Guglada areas of Dhameta and Nagrota Surian forest. 

The dead birds have been tested positive for bird flu. Archana Sharma who is the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) said that the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly detected avian influenza in the samples of dead birds. They are also awaiting confirmation on the same from the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. 

Dharamshala district has prohibited tourist activities in areas that are in close proximity to the lake. The Kangra district Magistrate Rakesh Prajapati has prohibited the sale, purchase, and export of poultry, fish, and their related products such as chicken, eggs, and meat in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali, and Indora subdivisions of the district. Shops selling these products in these four subdivisions would also be closed. 

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been found in Alappuzha and Kottayam in Kerala. Around 12,000 ducks have died in these areas. In Rajasthan, hundreds of crows died as a result of the virus. Cases have been also reported in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The H5N1 influenza virus causes severe respiratory disease in birds and can affect human beings too.