Kozhikode/Palakkad: A total of 2,060 birds was culled in bird flu-infected areas in Kerala's Kozhikode district on Monday.
Twenty-five teams of rapid response teams killed the birds and burnt the carcasses at Vengeri Thattambuzha region, Chathamangalam panchayat, and Kodiyathur panchayat. With this, the number of pet birds, including poultry, culled in two days, has risen to 3,760.
On day one, 1,700 birds were culled. Collector S Sambasiva Rao said that a total of 7,000 birds in the affected areas need to be culled. Authorities are hopeful that the process can be completed within a week.
The Collector also said that instructions have been given to close down all the poultry shops within the 10-km radius of the affected regions.
Vehicles, ferrying poultry, should not go to the affected areas either. The samples of the dead birds at Mavoor were collected and sent for tests. The results are awaited.
However, bird flu was not reported from any other district in Kerala.
Strict vigil at check-post
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has given strict instructions to step up vigil at the check-posts in the wake of the bird flu. If birds were found dead or in frail condition in vehicles coming to Kerala, these would be send back.
The department is closely monitoring the situation and mobile squads are also conducting inspections.
Tamil Nadu has also stepped up vigil along the border. Disinfectant is sprayed on vehicles from Kerala at the border. Poultry farms in Tamil Nadu would also be closely monitored.