Bondla Zoo still shut 75 days on as final flu test results awaited
Panaji:
Goa's only zoo, located within the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, has been closed to visitors for 2.5 months now. Hopes are high that it may soon reopen, pending the results of the final test conducted on the animals this month.
The principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Kamal Datta confirmed that the latest sample for testing was sent earlier this month to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal.
'We have sent the last sample and we are expecting a report shortly. If this report is negative, we will process the file to the state govt for approval of reopening the zoo,' he said. The Bondla Zoo has remained temporarily closed since April 1, following the deaths of five animals — three civet cats and two jungle cats — between March 6 and 9.
The jungle cats tested positive for the avian influenza virus H5N1 in April, while the cause of death in the civet cats remains unknown.
As per the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) protocols, the zoo can only reopen after receiving two consecutive negative test reports for the H5N1 virus, confirming that the premises and animals are safe. The NIHSAD, the designated nodal agency for avian flu confirmation in India, has been conducting the tests. While initial external swabs taken from animals — nasal, pharyngeal, and anal/fecal — tested negative, a blood plasma test conducted last month on the surviving pair of jungle cats had shown traces of the virus.
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Bondla Zoo still shut 75 days on as final flu test results awaited
Panaji: Goa's only zoo, located within the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, has been closed to visitors for 2.5 months now. Hopes are high that it may soon reopen, pending the results of the final test conducted on the animals this month. The principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Kamal Datta confirmed that the latest sample for testing was sent earlier this month to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. 'We have sent the last sample and we are expecting a report shortly. If this report is negative, we will process the file to the state govt for approval of reopening the zoo,' he said. The Bondla Zoo has remained temporarily closed since April 1, following the deaths of five animals — three civet cats and two jungle cats — between March 6 and 9. The jungle cats tested positive for the avian influenza virus H5N1 in April, while the cause of death in the civet cats remains unknown. As per the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) protocols, the zoo can only reopen after receiving two consecutive negative test reports for the H5N1 virus, confirming that the premises and animals are safe. The NIHSAD, the designated nodal agency for avian flu confirmation in India, has been conducting the tests. While initial external swabs taken from animals — nasal, pharyngeal, and anal/fecal — tested negative, a blood plasma test conducted last month on the surviving pair of jungle cats had shown traces of the virus.
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