The resurgence of the dreaded bird flu in West Bengal, barely a month after the state government claimed to have controlled it, is not at all a surprise, considering the ham-handed manner in which the

Nearly 50,000 birds are to be culled in the areas surrounding two parts of West Bengal's Murshidabad district from where there have been reports of a fresh attack of avian flu.

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Nearly a month after 3.5 million birds were culled in a bid to control the avian influenza that had affected 14 out of 19 districts, the West Bengal Government is once again gearing up to tackle a fre

Fresh cases of bird flu have been confirmed in a West Bengal district, almost a month after officials expressed hope that the avian flu had been finally controlled with the culling of around four mill

Barely a month after the West Bengal government had announced to have restrained the bird flu virus, fresh cases of the disease have been detected in the Murshidabad district of the state.

About 80,000 chickens and ducks were culled and over Rs 20 lakh given as compensation to the affected people in Asom during the recent culling operation undertaken to avert the outbreak of avian flu in the State, especially in the districts bordering West Bengal. State Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Minister Khorsing Ingti informed the Assembly today that though no bird flu case was reported in the State, preventive culling was undertaken in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts. In his reply to separate questions in the House, Ingti said altogether 50,640 birds were culled in Kokrajhar and 29,069 birds in Dhubri, while Rs 20,50,210 was given away as compensation

Though there seems to be increased concerns for the conservation of wildlife in the State, the threatened habitat of the wild boars in the Poba Reserve Forest (RF) seems to have eluded attention. The Poba RF is situated at Jonai, under Dhemaji district and around 100 km from Dhemaji town. Unabated deforestation, encroachment, erosion and, to add to it, hunting of wildlife have threatened the fauna in the RF. Currently the wild boars in the RF are afflicted with an anthrax-like viral disease, and recently about 20 boars have died of infections. This was disclosed by the authorities of the RF, who perceived that the swine fever has taken a toll on the boars. Environmental activists and some nature-loving NGO's have criticized the authority concerned for their complacent attitude in controlling the spread of the disease. It has been learnt from sources that the disease starts with an ulcer-like growth that spreads through the whole body and ultimately leads to the death of the animal. The people of Jonai have urged the SDO (Civil) to communicate the state of affairs as well as the concerns of the people at large to the higher authorities for eradicating the disease as soon as possible, given the fact that the wild boars are a rare species. Besides the boars, there are other endangered wildlife species in the RF. The Deputy Commissioner of the district has also been appraised of the situation. There has been demands by the local people to declare the Poba RF as a "Bio-reserve' and to take steps towards its conservation in view of the rampant deforestation, erosion and encroachment in the area. Many rare orchids and medicinal plants are also found in the RF, and possibilities of it being a bio-diversity hotspot cannot be ruled out.

Death of more than a thousand broiler chicken due to a mysterious disease since the last 15 days at Guijan area, 10 km from Tinsukia district has caused panic in the region. Surprisingly, the district administration is yet to ascertain the cause of the deaths, even as the general people of Guijan have started to panic. Meanwhile, allegations are rife that the broiler chicken traders of Guijan are secretly dumping off the dead chicken into the nearby Dibru river. The people are of the opinion that the chicken traders have not informed them so that they do not stop buying and consuming chicken, without being aware of the disease. The traders are playing with the lives of the people, they alleged.

The United Nations has praised the "swift and comprehensive' measures taken by India to bring under control the "worst-ever' outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal, while urging the country to maintain vigilance in view of similar incidents reported in its neighbourhood. Culling The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation's veterinary expert Mohinder Oberoi said intensive culling in the predominantly backyard poultry sector of West Bengal appeared to have stopped the disease in its tracks. Mr. Oberoi made the comment after a recent field trip to the affected areas, where no new outbreaks have been reported since February 2. FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech, however, urged the country to maintain intensive surveillance in high-risk areas as the possibility of new occurrences remained high. "The virus could still be present in the environment despite heavy slaughtering and extensive disinfection of affected areas, or it could be reintroduced from other countries,' he said. Praised The officials praised the national and State governments' political and financial commitment to stamp out the disease. They said public awareness campaigns, a strong command chain from districts to villages, compensation payments and an effective collaboration between animal and human health departments at field level were the key factors for the success.