More than 500 birds, mostly poultry, were culled on Saturday in Wards 15, 17, 18 and 19 of Parappanangadi municipality that fell within one km from Palathingal, where avian flu was detected two days ago.
When nine rapid response teams (RRTs) of the State Animal Husbandry Department, supported by health and civic body officials, went about culling the birds, one team focussed on incinerating and burying the killed birds. About 4,000 birds are expected to be culled in the next two days.
Chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigeons and doves were among the birds culled methodically as per the bird flu management protocol on Saturday.
Some local people were caught unawares, as the RRTs wearing protective gears swooped down on the village in the morning. Local people said they had not been informed of the culling. Several of them had let the chickens go out of their cages.
As many as 20 veterinary surgeons, supported by 119 livestock inspectors and 30 attendants, were out in the field, catching, killing, incinerating and burying the birds. A section was engaged in sanitising the area.
A spacious coconut seed farm owned by the government at Chiramangalam was used for incineration and burial. Apart from the culled birds, their feeding utensils, feeds and other accoutrements were incinerated.
Public announcements were made on Saturday asking the people not to let their poultry from cages. S. Nandakumar, disease investigation officer from the State Institute for Animal Diseases, Palode, who led the operation, said that culling would continue on Sunday and Monday.
Birds in Munniyoor and Tirurangadi regions will be culled on Monday, he said.
The district administration has suspended the licences of poultry shops within 10 km area from Palathingal in Tirurangadi and Parappanangadi municipalities. Sale or transport of poultry or any other pet bird is banned in the region for the next three months.
District Collector Jafer Malik said that people would be compensated for the culled birds, but in accordance with the government rates. A special cleaning drive will begin for three days after the culling.
Yet another inspection of the birds will be conducted on the fifth day. If any bird is found in that inspection, it will be confiscated and killed. The State government will submit a sanitation certificate to the Centre after the culling process. Random samples will be collected from within 10 km radius at every fortnight and will be sent for examination to national laboratories at Bhopal or Bangaluru. This will continue for three months.
The Centre will give a certificate only if the tests are negative. Dr. Nandakumar said that the bird flu management would be over only when the Centre issues a certificate.
