Bird Flu killing crows in Jharkhand

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In a worrying development, hundreds of crows have died in Jharkhand due to bird flu, a government official said Thursday.

The crows first started dying mysteriously last month in Jamshedpur district. This was followed by their deaths in Ranchi, Bokaro, Khuti, Sahebganj and other districts of the state.

Concerned over the situation, the Jharkhand's animal husbandry department called in experts from Bhopal's Indian Veterinary Research Institute to ascertain the cause of the crows' large-scale deaths.

"Samples of the dead crows were sent to Bhopal for tests. The scientists found strains of the deadly H5N1 virus in the dead crows, thus confirming that they had died of bird flu," an official of the animal husbandary department told IANS.

The department has issued advisories in local newspapers, asking people not to touch the dead crows, bury them and inform officials and others. Also, the Ranchi zoo has also been closed to visitors as a precautionary step.

"We are taking suitable measures and seeking views of experts about the deaths of crows," Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Satyanand Bhokta told reporters here Thursday.

The central government also has sent an advisory to the Jharkhand government regarding the deaths of the crows.