No birds' stall this Dasara exhibition

The Department of Animal Husbandry will not include birds in their stall this Dasara exhibition at Doddakere grounds in the City, in the wake of the outbreak of bird flu at Central Poultry Breeding Farm at Hesaraghatta in Bangalore.

Although Mysore district does not have a record of bird flu cases in the past, the department has decided to stall the plan of having birds, as a precautionary measure.

Department of Animal Husbandry Assistant Director Dr Suresh told Deccan Herald that the decision has been taken as the section of birds, every year, registers good number of visitors.

To encourage rearing of sheep and goats on a largescale, the concept of the department this year will be ‘Sheep and Goat.’

During the annual Dasara exhibition, the department exhibits flocks of birds, turkey in addition to ducks, guinea fowls among others, totalling to 20 to 25 different breeds of birds.

All the birds, however, were procured from the  Central Poultry Breeding Farm at Hesaraghatta, where the bird flu has broken out now.

Last year too, Turkeys were among the exhibits, besides six varieties of goats and two Bannur sheep. The aim of the stall in addition to promoting rearing of sheep was to create awareness about quality of meat eaten. For example: People were cautioned against buying locally-bred chickens instead of Giriraja, Girirani and Swarna Gowri (coloured broiler poultry), said an official with the department. At the end of the exhibition the birds were auctioned, he added.

The delay in opening the stall this time has come to the aid of the department. The stall will however will be ready by November second week, sources in the department said.

Though there is a high concentration of poultry farms with more than 20 lakh chicken in Mysore and its surrounding areas, there is no threat of breakout of bird flu, as Turkeys are not bred here. It is layers and broilers that are reared in large numbers in the City, said Assistant Director of Poultry Board Dr S M S Khadri.

To be on guard veterinarians will visit the poultry farms to collect samples and send it for lab tests. Nearly, five years ago when the bird flu broke out in other parts of the country, the department screened all farms in the district. Though the samples tested negative, harried farm owners disposed off poultry stock, he said.