Death toll of migratory birds at Rajasthan lake crosses 4,000
SAMBHAR: Scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and forest department officials found and buried hundreds of carcasses of migratory birds at India’s biggest inland salt lake, Sambhar (Rajasthan) on Wednesday, taking the four-day count of avian deaths in the area to 4,330.
As many as 1,991 carcasses of 13 species of birds were discovered and buried, said Rajasthan’s chief conservator of forests Arindam Tomar. He did not rule out the possibility of a substantial increase in the number of deaths because several areas around the large lake are yet to be scoured. Since Sunday, 4,330 birds belonging to 25 different species have died in the area, and the reason for the deaths remains a mystery.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted: “State government has taken all necessary steps to first find out what is causing the loss of avian lives and also to take immediate steps to prevent deaths during this migratory season...”. He said a ground level assessment was that because of heavy rains in Sambhar, many new water bodies have been formed, raising saline levels and causing water toxicity. Once investigations are complete, the government will do “everything possible” to prevent bird deaths, he added.
The CM said that water samples have been taken and sent for testing. The viscera from the carcasses have been sent to Bhopal for testing for bird flu, he said, adding that toxicologists have also been called from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.
The deaths of the birds on Sunday was discovered and reported by volunteers of an NGO . “We had come here to watch birds and spotted some carcasses... we reported it to the forest department,” said the NGO’s Dinesh Yadav, who claimed that it was the first time that so many bird deaths had taken place in the lake.