Patna zoo reopens after 49 days

PATNA: The Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park or Patna zoo, which was closed for an indefinite period on December 25 following death of six peafowls due to bird flu, reopened on Tuesday.
Animal husbandry director Vinod Singh Gunjiyal issued a no-objection certificate to the Patna zoo officials on Tuesday to reopen the zoo to visitors. Earlier, the state animal husbandry and fisheries department declared the zoo safe for the visitors.
“Samples collected from the surrounding areas of the zoo were tested negative for H5N1 virus,” Gunjiyal said.
The technical team comprising veterinary doctors of Bihar Animal Sciences University and Institute of Animal Health and Production, Patna had collected more than 50 samples from live domestic and poultry birds on February 3 and sent them to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease, Bhopal, for test. The report was received by the animal husbandry and fisheries department on Monday evening.
Patna zoo director Amit Kumar said the reports of the Bhopal-based laboratory and the no-objection certificate were sent to the Central Zoo Authority on Tuesday. “Only 1,323 people visited the zoo on Tuesday after it reopened. The footfall of visitors will increase by this weekend,” he added.
Amit said, “The medical team and zoo staff strictly followed the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Centre after NIHSAD and Regional Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory, Kolkata confirmed death of peafowls due to bird flu. The timely action saved lives of other zoo inmates.”
He said several veterinary doctors from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly and central team visited the zoo to oversee disinfection work there during the closure period.
As part of the SOP, the medical team of Patna zoo will send samples of live birds to the Bhopal-based laboratory for the fourth time on February 15. The disinfection work on the zoo premises will continue till the end of this month. Earlier, the zoo had sent samples to the laboratory thrice on December 31, January 15 and January 31. All the samples of swabs, droppings, feathers, soil and water, which were collected from the zoo, tested negative for H5N1 virus.