Kanpur and Gorakhpur zoos extend closure amid bird flu concerns

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

LUCKNOW/KANPUR/GORAKHPUR Kanpur and Gorakhpur zoos extended their closure until June 10 and June 4, respectively, amid bird flu concerns while the Lucknow facility will take a call on Wednesday.
Lucknow zoo authorities said there was neither any instance of bird flu nor any animal fell ill on the campus. 'The decision to open the zoo for public will be taken on Wednesday,' said Aditi Sharma, director, Lucknow zoo.
Enclosures at the Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur had been covered with nets to protect animals from wild birds, suspected to be carriers of the bird flu virus.
Gorakhpur zoo Director Vikas Yadav informed that samples from the infected animals were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly. The zoo's closure began on May 13, which was extended following confirmation of H5 avian influenza virus in tigress 'Shakti' that died on May 7.
So far, four animals had succumbed to bird flu - a lion on April 30, leopard Mona on May 8, tigress Shakti on May 7, and a wolf.
Yadav stated that the condition of another infected tigress 'Mailani', aged 14, was currently stable. Though she had lost appetite and her eyesight weakened, her condition was under control. Four other infected animals were also reportedly showing signs of improvement.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath took feedback on the situation during a review meeting held at the Gorakhnath temple. Officials briefed him on the recent deaths of big cats at the zoo and measures being taken to control the spread of infection.
Forest minister Arun K Saxena said, 'We are keeping a close watch on the situation at all three zoos and reports of animal samples and their health are being analysed by experts.'
Kanpur zoo director Shraddha Yadav confirmed on Tuesday that lion 'Shankar' and lioness 'Uma' had shown significant reduction in appetite over the past few days. Their health was under close observation and fresh samples were collected for laboratory test. Two other lions, 'Nandini' and 'Asam' had also been tested as a precaution.
The zoo had already sent 35 samples of animals — including those of birds and big cats — to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly and the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. However, delays at the Bhopal facility, where a backlog of cases persists, mean that most reports were still pending. Only two samples had so far tested positive for avian influenza — one from a lion and another from a peacock.
The situation began escalating on May 10, when a peacock in the zoo was found ill and later died during treatment. The post-mortem analysis revealed that the bird had contracted avian influenza. Days later, 'Pataudi', an Asiatic lion, transferred from Gorakhpur Zoo, fell ill and subsequently died. Zoo authorities acknowledged that the protocol may not have been strictly followed during the transfer process. 'At that time, no one was aware of the bird flu transmission,' Yadav said.
To mitigate further risk, several animals had been relocated to other enclosures within the premises. The zoo director reiterated that reopening will only be considered after all pending reports were receieved and confirm absence of infection.