Patna Zoo closed till March 7 after bird flu detection nearby
Patna Zoo has been closed to visitors till March 7 after avian influenza (H5N1) was detected in poultry samples from a nearby research centre. Authorities said the step was taken as a precaution under the Centre’s action plan to protect wildlife and staff
Patna: The authorities of the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, popularly known as Patna Zoo, in the Bihar capital, decided to close the facility to visitors from Saturday till March 7 following confirmation of avian influenza (H5N1) in poultry samples collected from a research centre in a nearby area.
According to a statement issued by the office of the District Animal Husbandry Officer in Patna on Friday, samples taken from chickens at the Poultry Research and Training Centre at Bihar Veterinary College tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1).
“Since Patna Zoo falls within a one-kilometre radius of the centre where H5N1 was detected, an immediate closure of the zoo to the public has been ordered till March 7 as a precautionary measure,” the zoo director said in a statement.
The measure has been taken in accordance with the Centre’s Action Plan for Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza, the statement said.
Officials stated that the zoo is implementing all preventive and disinfection measures within its premises, in accordance with the Centre’s action plan, to safeguard both wildlife and zoo staff.