Agartala: More than 8,500 chickens and ducks were culled and 10,500 eggs destroyed in a state government run poultry farm at Gandhigram, about 20 km from here, as bird flu resurfaced there after three years, officials said today.


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"When we saw some unusual death of chickens and ducks in the farm, carcasses of some fowls were sent to a laboratory in Bhopal on January 13 for examination and they were found to be
infected by Avian Influenza virus and culling operation was conducted on Saturday," Animal Resource Development Department (ARDD) Director Manoranjan Sarkar told reporters.


More than 8,500 chickens and ducks were culled and 10,500 eggs destroyed, he said.


"As H5N1 stains were found from some samples collected from the neighbouring villages of the government farm, poultry birds within 1 km radius will have to be culled within a short time," Dr Arup Kumar Dey, Deputy Director, Disease Investigation said.


Sarkar said there was no report of any unnatural death of fowls, poultry or ducks from any other part of the state, and there was no reason to panic and a Quick Response Team (QRT) has been formed to tackle any eventuality.