About 17,000 poultry culled in West Bengal

Kolkata: About 17,000 poultry have been culled in West Bengal's bird flu-hit Malda district, an official said on Friday.

"Veterinary workers have culled 16,963 chickens and ducks till Thursday night. The culling operations will continue till Friday night and mopping up operations will start on Saturday," District Magistrate Sridhar Ghosh said.

9,000 birds culled in bird-flu hit Bengal district

"The cullers are trying to cull more towards the evening when the poultry are back in the enclosures or farms," he said.

The state Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman had said approximately 25,000 poultry will be culled at Narhatta and Satgheria villages under English Bazar police station in Malda, which is about 350 km.

Thirty teams comprising 150 veterinary workers started full-fledged culling operations on Thursday in affected areas. Villagers are being paid compensation of Rs.20-50 for each fowl and duck depending on its age.

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Rehman had confirmed that blood samples of dead poultry sent to the High Security Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Bhopal had tested positive for avian flu.

In January, over 200,000 poultry birds were culled in several districts. An outbreak of the bird flu had been detected at Malda in March and more than 50,000 birds were culled. This is the second time the disease has hit the district.

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