With bird flu outbreak in Nepal causing the authorities to ban the sale of chicken in the Himalayan nation, animal activists have requested the State Forest Department and Animal Husbandry department to prepare for the threat of an outbreak in Uttarakhand as the State shares a border with Nepal.
At present, these two departments do not have a concrete plan to deal with such an outbreak which also afflicts avian fauna.
In a letter written to the chief wildlife warden and the director of the Animal Husbandry department, Gauri Maulekhi of People for Animals informed that lakhs of poultry birds have died in neighbouring Nepal due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The risk of this outbreak spreading to Uttarakhand cannot be negated as the State shares a border with Nepal.
Apart from Nepal, outbreak of bird flu has also been reported from the Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.
"Bird flu doesn't affect only poultry birds, but can also spread to wild avian fauna.
The Forest Department neither has a veterinary nor does it have an action plan to tackle with such an outbreak.
The Forest Department and Animal Husbandry department have neither made any preparations to deal with such an epidemic nor have they taken any concrete steps to raise public awareness on this issue," states Maulekhi in her letter informing the departments about the risk posed to poultry birds and avian fauna in the State.
She has requested that the hatching of chicks be controlled apart from which biosecurity and quarantine arrangements should be made for broiler and layer farms.
Checking and disinfection of poultry and foreign birds being brought to the State from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and elsewhere should be made mandatory.
"Uttarakhand should be declared a restricted zone and vaccination of birds should be undertaken in an effective manner.
A bird flu contingency committee should also be established and the help of experts should be sought to help prevent the spread of bird flu in Uttarakhand," she said.