Sultanpur National Park, Gurgaon got shut down after more than 40 birds found dead

The Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon district was shut down after more than 40 migratory birds were found dead inside the park on January 10, 2015.

The bird sanctuary located on the Gurgaon-Farrukhnagar Road got shut down for a week as a precautionary measure after a scare of a highly-pathogenic strain of Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) causing bird flu got spread in the North India.

As per the reports, the dead birds included 36 Eurasian Coot.

Other bird spices that were found dead in the lake were Spot Bill Duck, Common Moor Hen and Jungle Bubbler.

Though the cause of the death of the birds has not been declared yet by the authorities, there are also the reports of the birds having eaten some pesticide-infested crops at a nearby field.

The blood samples of the dead birds have been sent to specialised laboratories to confirm the cause of the death.

The Gurgaon district administration, forest and wildlife department have been placed on high alert after the incident took place.

The health department has also been asked to be alert for any emergencies.

More than 100 ducks were culled at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh in December 2014 after a duck was found dead in the lake, testing positive for H5N1 (avian virus).

The bird flu scare since then has spread across Haryana after crows were found dead in Pinjore and Jagadhari and 10 migratory bar-headed geese were reported dead in the plains of Jind.

About Sultanpur National Park:

Situated in Gurgaon district of Haryana on Gurgaon-Farrukh Nagar road, Sultanpur National Park is famous for its migratory as well as resident birds.

Migratory species reach the park after covering incredible distance from their homelands in Europe, Siberia and Central Asia. The places usually become inhabitable for these birds due to extreme cold temperature, snow covered ground and frozen lakes.

Migratory birds start arriving in the park in September.

Birds use park as a resting place till the following March-April.

During summer and monsoon months, the park is inhabited by many local bird species.

A total of around 250 bird species have been reported in the park.