Bird flu scare: Tight vigil in border areas of Kodagu

Fear has gripped Kodagu district following the confirmation of bird flu cases in Mysuru.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services has kept a tight vigil in the border areas of the district. Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy visited the check posts in border areas on Tuesday.

The transport of live chickens and poultry products from Kerala was banned a week ago. Check posts have been opened at Karike, Kutta and Makutta.

The health department officials too have been deployed at the check posts.

Transporting poultry products inside the district has also been banned. All the vehicles, which enter the district, are being thoroughly checked.

The department officials have appealed to members of the public to inform veterinary doctors and the department on mass death of birds in any part of the district.

The officials are sending samples from poultry chicken for testing in the laboratory. However, not even one bird flu case has been confirmed in the district so far.

As Kodagu receives heavy rainfall, the farmers are not engaged in rearing broiler. Only a few farmers rear ‘naati koli.’ However, there is a demand for chicken meat in the district. Broiler and other chicken are supplied to the district from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The supply of chicken from other states is also being checked.

The poultry industry is hit hard due to bird flu and rumours spread on coronavirus. Though meat shops opened on Tuesday, the customers hardly visited for purchasing meat. Some chicken stalls remained closed and the owners were engaged in cleaning the stalls thoroughly.

The hotels serving non-vegetarian food have seen a decline in the business for the last week. A hotel staffer said customers are not preferring non-vegetarian food now.

The officials have started collecting samples of migratory birds that come near water bodies. Awareness on bird flu is being created in different parts of the district, they said.