Bird flu threat: Mincemeat to replace raw chicken for carnivores in Hyderabad zoo

Hyderabad: Raw chicken, a staple of carnivores in the Nehru Zoological Park, will no longer be served. It would be replaced with mincemeat, officials of the park said as began stepping up measures to prevent bird flu from infecting the inmates.

Reflective ribbons are being placed on aviaries, perching spots and water bodies to keep away migratory birds which usually home in on those spots.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, N. Kshitija, curator, Nehru Zoological Park, said: “We have constituted a ‘rapid action force’ team, consisting of veterinary doctors who will monitor the birds daily. There are five aviaries in the zoo and all of them, including the trees alongside, it have been festooned with reflective ribbons.”

The zoo has initiated other steps to avoid the spread of Avian influenza. These include disinfection of the zoo, adding antibiotic powder and B-Complex syrup in the feed, providing a diet of fish for seven days for the birds and close monitoring of migratory birds visiting the wetlands of the zoo.

Officials have sprayed Viracid, an anti-viral liquid, around the enclosures and the night houses have been whitewashed.

Avian influenza has spread over to at least four states — Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have been put on high alert after thousands of birds died from bird flu.