The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal has confirmed that the deaths were due to avian influenza though they have not yet identified the strain of the virus that caused the flu. The deaths of the crows have been reported since December 25 from a temple in the Radi ke Balaji locality on the outskirts of Jhalawar town. The temple was shut on Wednesday and police force has been posted outside the temple gates. A team of experts from the regional diagnostic lab in Kota and a rapid response team set up by the district administration took samples of poultry animals shops and poultry farms in the area on Thursday. The samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal. Confirming the death of 25 crows, Jhalawar collector Ngikya Gohain said a zero mobility zone has been imposed in a one km radius of the temple and section 144 was clamped on Wednesday night. The animal husbandry department officials collected samples of the dead crows on Wednesday and sent them for testing to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal. The reports are awaited. Notably, a large number of migratory birds flock to Jodhpur too during the winter for nesting. Avian influenza or bird flu is a type of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. The avian influenza type A virus is very contagious and can be fatal for birds and domesticated species. It can also spread to humans. Last year in December, thousands of migratory birds had died at the Sambhar Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake in the country, near Jaipur due to avian botulism.
