File picture of a poultry farm

Balasore, March 14: Sudden death of poultry birds for unknown reasons in Khaira and Kupari areas of the district has triggered panic among the poultry farmers.

While unofficial sources claimed that over 2,000 birds have died due to an unknown disease in the last 10 days in these tribal dominated pockets, veterinary department officials said the death toll was within twenty.

A team from the Animal Disease Research Institute has arrived here to ascertain the causes of the disease, informed chief district veterinary officer Hrudananda Das.

“We have carried out an autopsy of some of the dead birds and found the death was due to ‘white bacillary discharge,” said Bishnu Charan Swain, a veterinary surgeon of Khaira.

Asish Das, a polutry cooperative activist, said: “Our cooperative society had supplied nearly 4,000 chicks to the members of the area. Of them, about 90 adults and sub-adults died within two days. The birds didn’t have symptoms of any white discharge. All of them died suddenly. Not ready to take any chance, we have decided to undertake a vaccination drive on our own effort.”

The carcasses of the birds were thrown in the jungle by the hatchery and poultry farm owners, without being properly disposed. The carcasses were eventually dragged to the habitation by carnivorous animals and birds. As a result, the disease is spreading fast,” he alleged.

“Our team has visited an affected poultry farm in Sundarpur from where the deaths were reported first,” said the chief district veterinary officer.