Patna zoo closed after bird flu scare

Jitendra K Shrivastava

Patna, December 25

The Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Garden or the Patna zoo was closed on Tuesday “until further orders” after strains of avian influenza virus were found in six dead peacocks, Forest officials said.

RK Sinha, Deputy Director, Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Garden, said, “Six peacocks died in mysterious conditions last week. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for test which confirmed that they had died after being infected with H5N1 virus.”

“Taking precautionary measures, we have closed the Patna zoo for an indefinite period for visitors. Each bird needs to be checked if it has any infection. Once the process of medical checking gets completed, the zoo would be reopened for public,” said DK Shukla, Principal Secretary, Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Garden, Patna.

Morning walkers and Christmas picnickers were in for a disappointment as they found the zoo gates shut with notices affixed on the walls. “Though we are disappointed, it was necessary for the authority to take such precautionary measures in the wake of bird flu,” said Dipak Kumar, a morning walker.