Tezpur, Dec. 24: Several wild ducks have died in the last couple of days in Behali under Borgang police station, bordering Arunachal Pradesh, in Assam's Biswanath district. Today, 15 ducks were found dead in the area.

Sources said wild ducks come out of Behali reserve forest and some of them die in the paddy fields of Bihmari panchayat area under Sialmari forest beat office in Behali.

Rajen Choudhury, the divisional forest officer, East Sonitpur, Biswanath Chariali, told this correspondent that a team of veterinary doctors had been sent to find out the reason for the birds' deaths and they have been monitoring the area.

He said the ducks are suspected to have died because of consumption of pesticides used in the nearby paddy fields. If this is allowed to continue, villagers working in the nearby villages run the risk of being infected, he added.

Some of the ducks were provided treatment by the veterinary doctors sent to the area but the number of dead ducks is increasing every day.

Fifteen ducks died today in the compound of a resident of Behali. The spot is about 1km from the beat office where residents dump the duck carcasses.

Munindra Mandal, a local resident, said in the past week many wild ducks had died and the information was sent to the forest office and some NGOs were given samples. But there is no reply from them, he added.

Mandal said villagers tried to rescue some ducks today from the paddy field of Bihmari.

Durlab Hazarika, president of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Parishad (AJYP), Behali anchalik, who visited the spot today, has demanded an inquiry into the death of the ducks. He alleged that the ducks were dying because of negligence by the forest departments.

These ducks are migratory birds and regularly come during winter from South Africa.