After the episode in January 2017 when it had to be shut down for about a month over the bird flu scare, the management of Mysuru zoo has been complying with the health and safety standards on a daily basis irrespective of H5N8 scare or no scare. All safety precautions are in place round the year.
The zoo has been sending the blood samples and bird droppings for tests every month to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, one of the top labs in the country, after the 2017 incident.
“We have made it a standard protocol. Every month, the samples are sent to the Bhopal lab for analysis for the safety of our birds. I don’t think any other zoo does this – maintaining the monthly lab reports of its winged beauties. With this, the zoo very well knows its birds and their health status besides other precautions that are essential,” said zoo Executive Director Ajit Kulkarni. He told The Hindu that no restrictions had been imposed on the visitors following the scare in the wake of cases in Kerala. “We are confident of our measures and accordingly the steps had been initiated. But a general alert is always better despite the best practices in place.”
In fact, the zoo’s closure has had a big impact on the tourism industry since the zoo was one of the key and most popular tourist destinations in the city.
There was resistance from the stakeholders for the zoo management’s decision to shut down the zoo over the bird flu scare but the officials got support from the government since it involved public safety and the safety of animals and birds.
The zoo was shut from January 4, 2017 to February 2, 2017 on the advice of the experts. The NIHSAD had confirmed avian influenza as the cause of the death of some migratory birds in December 2016. Never in the history of Mysuru zoo was it out of bounds for tourists for about a month.
After two consecutive sets of samples of bird droppings tested negative for bird flu, the then Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry, who reviewed the situation recommended that the zoo can be reopened. The Secretary, Department of Forests, issued an order for its reopening on February 3.
