Mumbai: Bird flu has entered the official residence of Thane City Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare. It was found that the chickens kept on the bungalow premises were infected with bird flu. After this, taking cognisance of the incident, the District Animal Husbandry Department said that all the chickens within a one-kilometre radius had been culled as a precautionary measure.
The Animal Husbandry Department officials also said that this outbreak is limited to that one area only and has not spread anywhere else. According to the information received, the official residence of Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare is located in the Bara Bungalow area of Thane city.
Mysterious chicken deaths
Forty to fifty chickens were kept on the bungalow premises. However, since last week, it was noticed that some of the chickens were suddenly dying. This raised concerns about a potential issue with the birds. The Animal Husbandry Department was immediately contacted and informed about the incident.
The Animal Husbandry Department sent samples of the dead chickens for testing. When the test report came in on Tuesday night, it was confirmed that the chickens were infected with bird flu. As a precautionary measure, the Animal Husbandry Department culled all the chickens within a kilometre of the Police Commissioner’s residence.
Outbreak contained locally
The department clarified that this outbreak is limited to the Bara Bungalow area and has not spread elsewhere. However, only 20 chickens were culled in the area of the elite settlement. There has been no spread in the city or surrounding areas, said Dr Vallabh Joshi, Deputy Commissioner of the District Animal Husbandry Department.
