The carcasses of 293 more migratory birds were found at Pong wetland in Himachal’s Kangra district on Friday taking the death toll of birds to 3702 due to avian influenza-H5N1.

“Till Friday afternoon, carcasses of 293 migratory birds were found and the counting of carcasses was still on at the Pong wetland.  A total of 3702 migratory birds have died till now due to bird flu,” said a senior official of the Wildlife wing of Forest Department, Himachal while talking to The Pioneer.

The official said that the daily mortality numbers in Dhameta range of the Pong Wildlife Sanctuary is showing a declining trend with only 20 birds reported dead on January 8.

The Chief Minister on Friday held a review meeting in Dharamshala with all concerned Departments involved in control and containment of the bird flu outbreak.  It was on January 4 when the deadly avian influenza- H5N1 was confirmed by National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHASAD), Bhopal in dead migratory birds at Pong Dam.

The official said that Assistant Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Chamba has been deployed at Nagrota Surian to assist DFO Wildlife Hamirpur in managing the situation and supervise the functioning of control room established there. 10 rapid response teams (RRTs) are working in the sanctuary area for the collection and safe disposal of dead birds as per protocol, he added.

It is for the first time that bird flu has been reported at the Pong wetland which is known as migratory birds’ paradise as it hosts more than one lakh winged guests during winter season.

As a precautionary measure, sale of poultry products and fish was banned in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions of Kangra district till further orders. Entry of visitors was also banned in the Pong Dam till further orders.

This time, around 60000 migratory birds have reached the wetland for their winter sojourn. Maximum fatalities have been reported among Bar-Headed Goose.