Damak, January 20:

Poultry business in Jhapa district has fallen down due to the outbreak of avian influenza.

Mohan Tajpuriya owns a

fresh house to sell chicken at Damak Chowk in Jhapa district but his business is nil for the past five days.

“It was only source of earning livelihood for my family, however, I am not making a single

penny these days,” Tajpuriya said, adding, “I used to sell at least 30 kg of chicken everyday before the outbreak of bird flu but there is no sale now.”

If the situation remained same, he would have no

choice but to change the business, he said.

“I have closed the shop after the outbreak of the disease,” MD Smile of Birtamod said.

Not only the chicken shops but also the poultry farmers are hit hard. Anuj Bhattarai, a

poultry farmer in Budhabare, said that he was worried about his future.

“The farmers, who are running the business by taking loan from the bank, are badly hit,” Parshu Sitaula, chairman of the District Poultry Farmers Association (PFA) said.

“The future of over 400 poultry farmers is grim,” he said.

More than three dozens of poultry farmers of Mechinagar Municipality and adjoining

areas have already abandoned their business.

The poultry entrepreneurs have demanded the government to introduce special relief

for them. “Some Rs 3 crore has been invested in the poultry farming in the district,” Sitaula said.

“Though the local administration has banned sale and

distribution of the poultry

products in the three km radius of the flu crisis-hit area, it

has affected the business all over the district,” he added. \

Mystery birds’ death triggers panic:

Himalayan News Service

Palpa, January 20

Locals in Tansen, the district headquarters of Palpa, and adjoining areas are in a panic after around 200 poultry birds died all of a sudden in the backdrop of the first detection of bird flu in Kakarvitta in the eastern Nepal.

The District Livestock Services Office started carrying tests after adult chicken and young birds started dying in the area.

Post-mortem of 100 chicken belonging to Shreenagar Poultry owned by Bidur Ghimire at Batasedanda of Tansen-7 was carried out after they died all of a sudden last night, locals said.

“A team of animal health workers has been sent from the livestock services office after the news of the sudden death of the chicken was received,”

Rudra Prasad Poudyal, senior officer at the office said. He added,

“It came to know from the

post-mortem that no symptom of bird flu was found in the

dead chicken.”

“It has been suspected that the chicken might die of cold,” Poudyal said.

Five chicken died suddenly at Chautarabhanjyang of Tansen-7 on Sunday and Monday, locals said. A team of animal health workers from the livestock services office was sent to Siddhababa Temple area near the border of Palpa and Rupandehi districts today after it was reported that a few pigeons died suddenly all of a sudden.

“As the pigeons died suddenly, they have been sent to Kathmandu for tests,” Poudyal said.