1200 migratory birds die uner mysterious circumstances at Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh

Around 1,200 migratory birds have lost their lives under mysterious circumstances at Himachal Pradesh's Pong Dam in the last one week. The dead birds include endangered bar-headed goose, black-headed gull, river tern, common teal, and shoveler. 

It is learnt that the carcasses of some birds. including the bar-headed goose have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly and Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar to find out the reason behind their deaths.

Four bar-headed geese and one common teal were found dead on December 28. These birds were found dead in the Fatehpur area of Pong. The death of these birds prompted the wildlife department officials to search the wetland and the officials found that 421 birds had died in wildlife range of Dhameta and Guglara areas of the Nagrota range under mysterious circumstances.

The initial report of the post-mortem has revealed that these birds have not died due to poisoning.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife)and Chief Wildlife Warden Archana Sharma told New Indian Express, "Around 1,200 migratory birds have died in the last few days at the Pong Dam and a probe has been ordered into the case. Action will be taken against those found guilty after we get the report of the exact cause of their deaths. The area has been cordoned off."

The Pong wetlands are spread over an area of 18,000 hectares and about 57,000 migratory birds were recorded on December 15 in the area. These included the bar-headed goose, northern pintail, common pochard,  Eurasian coot, common teal, great cormorant, Eurasian wigeon, gadwall, and graylag goose.

Around 1.5 lakh migratory birds from 114 species visit Pong dam in Himachal Pradesh every winter.