As many as 53 birds, together with 46 red-wattled lapwings, three waders and 4 geese, have been discovered useless on the financial institution of Kharo reservoir in Manavadar taluka of Junagadh district on Saturday. Veterinary officers mentioned that prima facie, the birds may have died as a result of meals poisoning.
A crew of Manavadar vary of Gir Somnath social forestry division rushed to the financial institution of Kharo reservoir in Bantva village of Manavadar taluka of Junagadh district on Saturday after being alerted that a couple of dozen carcasses have been discovered on the financial institution of the dam.
“We conducted a spot inspection and recovered carcasses of 46 red-wattled lapwing, three ruffs, three northen shoveller ducks and one comb duck. We rushed to the site after a man from Rajasthan who had come to Bantva to meet his relatives went for an outing on the dam site and found the dead birds and alerted the forest department,” Ushma Nanavati, assistant-conservator of forests of Gir Somnath social forestry division, instructed The Indian Express on Sunday.
Ruffs are birds of wader household whereas northern shovellers and comb geese are birds of the duck household.
Suspecting that the birds may have died as a result of some illness, forest officers handed the carcasses over to the workplace of veterinary officer (VO) of Manavadar.
“The incident has been reported from the revenue area… we have handed over the carcasses to local officers of the state veterinary department. They will conduct postmortem and laboratory tests to know the cause of the deaths… We are maintaining a strict vigil at the dam site and no further bird casualty has been reported so far,” Nanavati added.
VO Nitin Fadadu mentioned that postmortem was in progress on the Veterinary Disease Research Unit of state animal husbandry division in Junagadh metropolis on Sunday night. “Some carcasses had started autolysing, suggesting the birds could have died two to three days ago. Postmortem of three lapwings has been completed and prima facie they appear to have died due to food poisoning. Wheat have been found to be present in their bowels… Prima facie, no signs of infection have been found in their trachea and lungs…” Fadadu mentioned including the samples shall be despatched to the laboratory in Gandhinagar for additional testing.
