Bird flu infection has been confirmed in a large number of dead crows found at the premises of Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur.
A joint team from Kirtipur Municipality and the Department of Livestock Services collected 68 dead crows from the university area and buried them on Tuesday. However, officials said more dead crows have been found, and the collection process is continuing.
“More dead crows are still being discovered. As we could not collect all of them yesterday, the work will continue today,” said Sushila Gaire, chief of the municipality’s veterinary section. According to her, locals had reported the deaths about a week ago in the Birendra Aishwarya Park within the university premises.
Gaire stated that 10 dead crows were sent to the Department of Livestock Services laboratory for testing, which later confirmed bird flu infection. Following the confirmation, authorities decided to collect and safely dispose of the dead birds.
The collection process began yesterday, and 64 crows collected today were buried in a pit. Teams were also instructed to collect samples if other dead birds are found in the same area.
No unusual deaths have been reported among other bird species in the park, Gaire added. “Since these are free-flying birds, controlling bird flu in crows is more complex than in domestic poultry,” she said. The municipality has also issued a public notice restricting the transportation of poultry feed in the Kirtipur area.
Senior veterinary officer Mukul Upadhyay confirmed that both H5N1 and H9 strains of the bird flu virus were detected in the dead crows. He suggested that the infection may have spread from migratory birds. He also noted that similar cases had been reported in the past, including at the British Embassy premises in Kathmandu.
Upadhyay warned that such infections can spread to other birds and urged poultry farmers to strengthen biosecurity measures. He advised farmers to prevent contact between domestic birds and wild animals such as birds, dogs, and cats, and to avoid raising poultry in open environments.
He also cautioned against killing crows indiscriminately and advised the public not to feed dead poultry to pigs or consume cheap chicken meat of unknown origin.
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