Migratory birds killed in Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake due to Avian botulism; rescue of ill birds underway

A series of deaths of migratory birds in Sambhar Lake have put health and administrative officials under alarm. 520 migratory birds have died and 235 are ill in Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake. Ill birds, predominantly because of Avian botulism disease are being rescued and treated.

Jeetu Kulhari said, "In 2019, a very large number of birds had died in Sambhar Lake. The day we got to know about it, we started working so that the disease does not spread among the birds. We keep a close watch on them every day. 520 birds have died. 235 birds are ill - we have rescued them and all of them are being treated. There is a team at the veterinary hospital as well. The team is also continuously engaged there. During this transportation of injured birds, about one or two of our birds who were in serious condition died during primary treatment."

She further said that 10 teams were formed and sent for rescue operations in the lake.

"Our teams are working very hard. It is our responsibility to save the birds which migrate here covering thousands of km. We need the support of locals," she added.

The bodies of dead birds are being continuously taken out from the lake and disposed of, while the sick birds are being rescued and treated. The death of birds has now reduced, and the condition of sick birds is also improving rapidly.

The death of migratory birds due to botulism has been confirmed in the investigation report from Bareilly lab.

Botulism is a disease in which birds get paralyzed. Botulism is a serious neuromuscular disease, which is caused by a toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulism. This disease affects the nervous system of birds, causing paralysis of their wings and legs and the neck starts touching the ground.

The bird gets paralyzed and is not in a position to stand, which leads to its death.

Subdivision Officer, Navan Jeetu Kulhari said, "The process of finding dead birds in Sambhar Lake has been going on for the last 15 days. More than 1000 birds have fallen ill due to botulism. 50 members divided into 10 teams of SDRF, Animal Husbandry, Forest Department and Administration are engaged in rescue and relief operations in the lake area. Intensive rescue operations are going on in Mohanpura, Khakarki, Jabdi Nagar, Gudha Salt and Sambhar Salt areas of the lake area."

Surveys are also being conducted using drones to rescue the birds.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad veterinarian said, "Yesterday, 38 birds who had fully recovered were freed and released back into the lake. Currently, the treatment of 50 birds is going on in the rescue center."