AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20061112103139&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0
<SMALL>BERHAMPUR: With the influx of migratory birds into major water bodies of Orissa including the vast Chilka lake, wildlife officials and eco-watchers are jittery about the possibility of outbreak of baterial infection taking its toll.
A disease had caused the death of around 2000 migratory birds, who are known to come to the chilka from far-off places like Siberia, the Himalayas, Iran and Afghanistan to escape the bitter cold in those places, in the blue lagoon last winter.
Wildlife authorities say they have initiated several measures to ensure the safety of the birds this year. The deaths were attributed to a bacterial infection.
As the birds have started arriving in the lagoon since the last week of October - about three weeks behind schedule as winter is yet to make its presence felt-nature lovers are keeping their fingers crossed.
The afflicted birds had died at the rate of 40 to 50 per day in January last while the death count came down drastically in February and March. However, no death was caused by the much-feared bird flu in the state, the sources said.
The bacterial infection might have been caused by the deterioration of chilka?s eco-system, Prasanta Kumar Behera, professor of botany at the Berhampur University, said. Sailabala Padhy, a scientist in the same university, blamed prawn culture being ndertaken in the lake for the pollution of water.
?Micronutrients in fertilisers and pesticides used for prawn culture may be the culprit and caused the growth of bacteria in the water, she said.</SMALL>
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Nov 13, 2006
Monday November 13 2006 00:00 IST
<SMALL>PTI</SMALL>Monday November 13 2006 00:00 IST
<SMALL>BERHAMPUR: With the influx of migratory birds into major water bodies of Orissa including the vast Chilka lake, wildlife officials and eco-watchers are jittery about the possibility of outbreak of baterial infection taking its toll.
A disease had caused the death of around 2000 migratory birds, who are known to come to the chilka from far-off places like Siberia, the Himalayas, Iran and Afghanistan to escape the bitter cold in those places, in the blue lagoon last winter.
Wildlife authorities say they have initiated several measures to ensure the safety of the birds this year. The deaths were attributed to a bacterial infection.
As the birds have started arriving in the lagoon since the last week of October - about three weeks behind schedule as winter is yet to make its presence felt-nature lovers are keeping their fingers crossed.
The afflicted birds had died at the rate of 40 to 50 per day in January last while the death count came down drastically in February and March. However, no death was caused by the much-feared bird flu in the state, the sources said.
The bacterial infection might have been caused by the deterioration of chilka?s eco-system, Prasanta Kumar Behera, professor of botany at the Berhampur University, said. Sailabala Padhy, a scientist in the same university, blamed prawn culture being ndertaken in the lake for the pollution of water.
?Micronutrients in fertilisers and pesticides used for prawn culture may be the culprit and caused the growth of bacteria in the water, she said.</SMALL>
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