Amid the heightened surveillance in view of the bird flu scare, the UT forest and wildlife department found four more bird carcasses in the city on Thursday.

A total of five samples were sent to the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NRDDL) in Jalandhar after four birds were found dead – two crows – one in Maloya and another in Leisure Valley, Sector 36; a peacock at Sukhna Lake and a cuckoo at Sector 36.

On Tuesday, a common coot was found dead in the lake, while a dead pigeon, a crow, an egret and a cormorant were found in the lake waters on Wednesday. “Reports of their samples to confirm the cause of death are still awaited,” said chief conservator of forests Debendra Dalai.

“Apart from Sukhna Lake, bird carcasses were discovered in Sector 36 and Maloya as well on Thursday. We have taken samples and sent them to NRDDL, along with two samples from Wednesday, which were collected late,” said Abdul Qayum, deputy conservator of forests, UT.

“We have been receiving inputs from bird watchers and volunteers, and our teams are also on the field, keeping a watch on the behaviour of birds,” Dalai said.

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Hospitality industry exercising caution

“Chicken dishes are prepared in restaurants at a high temperature, killing any possible virus. So, we assure people, the food served is safe to consume,” said Ankit Gupta, president of the Chandigarh Hospitality Association.

General manager of King Broilers in Sector 46, Ravinder Kumar said there was no impact on the demand for poultry products. “The slight fluctuation in prices is nothing unusual. In winter, the sale of fish also picks up, so traders have no cause of concern as far as business is concerned,” he added.

Sector 21 Meat Market Association’s president Ashish Kumar said although there was a minor dip in the sale of eggs, the demand and sale of broiler chicken remained unaffected, and the prices were stable.

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