By IRNA,
Guwahati, India : A bird flu scare has hit the internationally famed Kaziranga National Park in India’s northeastern state of Assam with carcasses of at least a dozen migratory Bar-headed Goose found inside the sanctuary, officials said.
A park warden said at least seven Bar-headed Goose were found dead Friday, while five carcasses of the same species that had recently arrived at the sanctuary from Siberia were recovered Thursday.
“A team of experts, including veterenarians were carrying out post portem of the dead birds and samples would be sent to a laboratory in Bhopal to find out if the deaths were due to avian influenza or some other diseases,” a park ranger said requesting not to be named.
All the deaths were reported from the Agoratoli range of the Kaziranga National Park.
“We have issued a general alert asking forest guards to look out for any dead birds or animals,” the official said.
The 430 sq km park, home to the world’s largest concentration of the one-horned rhinos, is also a birding paradise with more than 300 species of birds, including around 100 species of migratory birds.
“We are worried as other birds and animals might be hit if the avian influenza spreads in the park,” the official said.