Peacocks found dead in Maha's Beed test positive for bird flu

The samples of some peacocks found dead in Maharashtra's Beed district a few days back have tested positive for avian influenza, an official said on Thursday.

Three peacocks, two peahens and another wild bird were found dead in Loni village close to Balaghat mountain range in Shirur Kasar taluka of Beed on January 22, the official said.

The samples of these dead birds were sent to labs for analysis to check if they died due to avian flu. Their samples have tested positive for the bird flu infection, he said.

Dr Pradip Aghav, an animal husbandry department official, said that after this confirmation, samples from 10 km periphery of the spot, where these birds were found dead, are being collected.

"We have collected nearly 113 samples from the area and they are being sent for analysis," he said.

Eight more peacocks were found dead in the nearby area after January 22, but they tested negative for bird flu.Their samples will be analysed to know where these birds were poisoned, he added.