Quarantine animals infected by bird flu, Centre tells States after tiger, leopard deaths in Nagpur

With Maharashtra reporting India’s first case of avian influenza among animals, the Union Animal Husbandry Ministry sent a circular to all States, urging them to quarantine infected or symptomatic tigers and other feline species to prevent transmission of the disease to other animals or humans.

With Maharashtra reporting India’s first case of avian influenza among animals, the Union Animal Husbandry Ministry sent a circular to all States on Sunday (January 5, 2025), urging them to quarantine infected or symptomatic tigers and other feline species to prevent transmission of the disease to other animals or humans.

Three tigers and one leopard died of the H5N1 virus, better known as bird flu, at an animal rescue centre in Nagpur in the last week of December.

Avian influenza is crossing the species barrier, Union Animal Husbandry Commissioner Abhijit Mitra told The Hindu on Sunday (January 5, 2025). Citing cases in the United States and Vietnam, he said that avian influenza has been found in cattle and goats, as well as in wild species, particularly tigers.

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“In Maharashtra, the case was reported from a rescue centre and after post mortem, the samples were sent to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases at Bhopal. There, the samples were tested positive for avian influenza,” Dr. Mitra said, noting that this is the first time that bird flu has been reported among animals in India. “They are precious animals. We have isolated them and are treating them. The National Joint Outbreak Response Team has reached there and is implementing the steps to be taken in such a scenario,” he said, adding that the Animal Husbandry Ministry will issue detailed guidelines on the matter within a week.

The Ministry is also examining the reasons for the infection. “The animals are in a rescue centre. Maybe the chicken meat served to them could be the reason for the disease. We are examining it and have alerted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change too,” Dr. Mitra said, adding that there is no need to panic at present. “The human beings who came in touch with the animals during the treatment and the post mortem are also being screened,” he added.

In its circular, the Ministry directed that any affected establishment will have to be temporarily shut to the public and initiate enhanced biosecurity protocols. “Restrict the movement of personnel, veterinarians, and labourers. Under no circumstances should they move from infected pens to healthy pens,” the directive said.