South Asia largest Turkey farm closed at Kureeppuzha, Bird-Flu-Hit Kerala

The Kerala Goverment Turkey farm at, Kureeppuzha said to be the largest in South Asia when it housed over 8000 turkey birds until two days before, has been closed after all the birds were culled. In a quick response against the outbrek of Bird-Flu.

Dr.B. Aravind, assistant director of AHD says that “The culling was carried out quickly by the Animal Husbandry Department and Health officials soon after it was confirmed by the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratroy at Bhopal that the 400 birds that had died late last week in the farm after being afflicted with the deadly avian influenza strain H5N1,”

The experience of last November’s culling of more than three lakh ducks in the Kuttanad region, hit by the bird flu, came in handy for the authorities.

He said all the chicken and ducks within a 1-km radius of the farm were being culled too in order to prevent the spread of the virus to other birds or animals. Owners of poultry in the nearby areas have been asked to bring the culled birds to the farm for being buried. The culled their chicken and ducks would get ₹ 200 each as compensation from the government.

Dr. Aravind said the virus would not normally attack humans, but if it mutated, it could prove to be harmful. Sale of poultry meet and eggs was being banned in a 10-km radius of the farm. Import and export of poultry from Kollam district would be banned to check the spread of the virus to other areas.

 Dr. Aravind said that a Government of India protocol insisted that culled birds should be burnt en masse, the farm authorities had been forced to bury the birds due to local residents’ opposition. The nauseating smell of the burning turkeys had offended the locals who had taken out a protest rally to the farm.The farm has been closed for three months as a preventive step because all the turkeys were buried within the four-acre area.

Src:- http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/birdfluhit-turkey-farm-in-kerala-closed-after-culling-8000-birds/article6831091.ece

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