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Delhi Zoo shuts down over avian flu deaths

Xinhua, October 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Delhi Zoo has been shut down indefinitely after eight water birds died of avian flu, authorities said Wednesday.

"Officials in charge of the zoo informed us about the flu infecting birds. The flu has been diagnosed as H5 avian influenza. The zoo has been closed for now and we are taking all necessary measures," Delhi's Development and General Administration Minister Gopal Rai told the media.

A senior official said that samples of a couple of dead ducks and birds have been sent to forensic laboratories for tests. "We are awaiting the report," he said, on condition of anonymity.

The zoo, where the annual footfall is 22,00,000, hogged limelight in May after the death of 46 spotted deer due to rabies. And this is the first time in 10 years that bird flu has been reported in the zoo.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is an infectious viral disease of birds. According to the World Health Organisation, most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans. Endit