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Zoo inmates refuse to adapt to new diet
Guwahati:
Animals in Assam zoo refuse to adapt to their new
diet after authorities had stooped feeding them chickens
due to the outbreak of Bird flu in the state. The spread
of deadly H5N1 avian influenza across the state has led
to mass culling of birds. The sale and movement of poultry
has been prohibited. Precautionary measures are being
taken to stop the spread of the virus. The poultry farms
in the state are forced to shut down, rendering many jobless
in the sector. Taking preventive measures, the Assam State
Zoo cum Botanical Garden has stopped feeding chickens
to the zoo inmates but the some of the animals, like leopard
and wild cats, which were regularly fed with chickens
are now finding it hard to take any alternative food.
The zoo officials believe the animals will soon adapt
to their new eating habit. "We are upset that the animals
are not eating anything. We are observing the animals
and I am sure they would adapt to their new diet. Doctors
are also keeping an eye on them," said Narayan Mahanta,
District Forest Officer, Assam State Zoo. Veterinary officials
have slaughtered over 300,000 chicken and ducks since
late November, after the virus was detected in poultry
last month in a village close to Guwahati. The WHO has
described the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal last
January, when more than four million birds were culled,
as the worst ever in India.
-Dec
17, 2008
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