Hyderabad: About 32,000 more birds were culled at the Srinivas Reddy Poultry Farm (SRPF) on Wednesday, taking the total number culled at the poultry farm where the bird flu outbreak was first detected to a little more than 52,000.
The farm will be sprayed with disinfectants and will not be in use for three months. The Animal Husbandry department is taking preventive measures like providing protective gear like shoe covers, rubber gloves and face masks to those culling the birds to contain the infection.
However, a few violations were also observed. Few of the culled chickens were buried and even burnt in the vicinity of a small pond near the poultry farm.
As per the recently updated action plan of the animal husbandry department for preparedness, control and containment of avian influenza, the pits in which the culled birds are buried should not be near water bodies. Burning of culled birds is not allowed.
Some of the workers who were employed to cull the birds for the first time on Wednesday meanwhile said that they had not been given the preventive medicine for bird flu. Workers from the gram panchayat who were roped in to bury the culled birds complained that they were provided with only face masks and no other protective gear.
A scientist from the Southern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Bengaluru visited the poultry farm on Wednesday but not as part of any official inspection committee. The surveillance zone of 10-km radius has 20 farms with 8.5 lakh birds.
