Pune: Amid the bird flu outbreak, culling operation is underway in various districts of Maharashtra. As many as 5,840 birds have been culled Pune district amid the Avian Influenza, said a veterinary official.

All the infected birds, tested two days back, were from two backyard poultries in villages of Daund and Mulshi talukas. The infected crows are said to be the source of the disease, according to reports. The vet official said, “Reports of dead birds came positive for the flu while the administration has already ordered to cull birds within a km radius of the area. Also, the sale of poultry birds is banned for 21 days here.”

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has ramp up the testing for bird flu after a series of suspect bird deaths were reported around the state. Samples of dead birds collected are then being sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the central team set up for reviewing the situation in the affected areas of India is visiting the affected sites including Pune. It has already visited the state to monitor the hotspots of the flu and is conducting epidemiological studies.

On the other side, six states including, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh have confirmed bird flu in poultry birds. Culling operations are underway in the aforementioned states. Also, nine other states have reported the disease in, migratory and wild birds.