Nagpur's Maharajbagh Zoo has temporarily halted feeding chicken to wild animals following the deaths of three tigers and a leopard at a wildlife rescue centre in the city. Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik confirmed on Thursday that the big cats likely died from avian influenza, which they may have contracted from consuming chicken. However, the exact cause of death will be determined once the lab test results are received, the minister added.
Authorities at Nagpur's zoos have been instructed to inspect the food before feeding it to the animals, an official said. Additionally, the wildlife rescue centre, where three tigers and a leopard died, has been ordered to remain temporarily shut.
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Bird flu or avian influenza is a type of influenza that primarily affects wild birds and poultry. Maharajbagh Zoo's Chief Health Officer, Sunil Baviskar, stated that the wild animals at the facility are provided food in accordance with their natural eating habits. While tigers are not fed chicken at the zoo, leopards and other animals, which occasionally eat birds in the wild, are given poultry meals. Baviskar also reassured that none of the animals at Maharajbagh Zoo have shown any symptoms of bird flu or been infected with the virus.
The big cats died at the centre last month-end. Their samples were sent to Bhopal for testing, and the test reports on January 2 confirmed they were positive for the H5N1 virus, Gorewada project divisional manager Shatanik Bhagwat said on Monday.