Owl found dead in Delhi zoo tests H5N8

NEW DELHI: A dead owl in the Delhi zoo has been found to have been infected with bird flu, officials said on Saturday. "The zoo witnessed the death of a brown fish owl in its captivity. Its cloacal, tracheal and ocular swabs were sent to the animal husbandry unit of the Delhi government for serological examination," zoo Director Ramesh Pandey said. The samples were found positive for H5N8 avian influenza virus under real-time RT-PCR test done by ICARNational Institute of High Security Animal Disease, Bhopal, on Friday, he said.