COIMBATORE: At least five crows were found dead and a few others were found ill near Kattoor in the city in the last three days. District animal husbandry department officials said the birds might have died due to “food poisoning” and connecting these cases to avian influenza could be possible only after samples are sent for tests. Corporation sanitation workers in ward 83 noticed dead and sick crows during regular waste collection. “We have disposed of five carcasses in the last three days,” said a sanitary worker. People who visited the ward office on Friday said they saw a dead crow on the premises. On Saturday morning, one more crow fell sick on the premises. Another sick crow was found a few metres away. After TOI contacted the district animal husbandry department, officials inspected the spot. An official said, “There could be chances of food poisoning because the place is surrounded by a residential area. Since sanitation workers have disposed of the dead crows, asserting the reason or associating it with avian influenza is impossible. The sick crows cannot be taken for sampling because they are still alive. In case a bird dies, samples will be collected and sent to the ICAR-NIHAS lab in Bhopal. Until then nothing can be declared.” The officials said incidents of mass bird deaths or the presence of avian influenza had not been reported in the district. It may be recalled that many crows were found dead in Chennai, and lab tests confirmed that they died of H5N1.
