Bird Photographs
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adsatinder
Peace
Great Colours !
Great Paintings of Birds !
Great Paintings of Birds !
adsatinder
Peace
Posted at: Nov 11, 2019, 9:19 PM; last updated: Nov 11, 2019, 10:28 PM (IST)
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
A worker places a dead bird into a sack, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on Monday, November 11, 2019. PTI
Jaipur, November 11
Hundreds of migratory birds of over a dozen species have been found dead in Sambhar lake area near Jaipur.
Water contamination is suspected to be the cause behind the birds’ death, said officials, adding, the exact reason, however, would be clear only after testing their viscera.
The birds, numbering around 1,500, were found dead on Sunday in over five to seven square km area around the Sambhar Lake, which is a well-known wetland of international importance and is visited by tens of thousands of migratory birds during winter.
After receiving the information about dead birds from local residents, a team of revenue, forest and veterinary officials visited the area and found around 1,500 carcasses of 15 species, including those of Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Shelduck, Plovers, Avocets and others.
“Samples were collected by the veterinary team and sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Centre, Bhopal. The result is expected in four to five days,” a forest department official said.
Carcasses have been disposed and the area is being thoroughly combed.
This is the second incident after a similar incident in Jodhpur’s Khinchan area, where thirty-seven demoiselle cranes were found dead on Thursday last week. Their viscera too have been sent for investigation and reports are awaited. — PTI
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
A worker places a dead bird into a sack, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on Monday, November 11, 2019. PTI
Jaipur, November 11
Hundreds of migratory birds of over a dozen species have been found dead in Sambhar lake area near Jaipur.
Water contamination is suspected to be the cause behind the birds’ death, said officials, adding, the exact reason, however, would be clear only after testing their viscera.
The birds, numbering around 1,500, were found dead on Sunday in over five to seven square km area around the Sambhar Lake, which is a well-known wetland of international importance and is visited by tens of thousands of migratory birds during winter.
After receiving the information about dead birds from local residents, a team of revenue, forest and veterinary officials visited the area and found around 1,500 carcasses of 15 species, including those of Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Shelduck, Plovers, Avocets and others.
“Samples were collected by the veterinary team and sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Centre, Bhopal. The result is expected in four to five days,” a forest department official said.
Carcasses have been disposed and the area is being thoroughly combed.
This is the second incident after a similar incident in Jodhpur’s Khinchan area, where thirty-seven demoiselle cranes were found dead on Thursday last week. Their viscera too have been sent for investigation and reports are awaited. — PTI
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
oriole12
Nature Lover
I hope scientists and laboratories are able to ascertain the real cause of such large scale deaths!Posted at: Nov 11, 2019, 9:19 PM; last updated: Nov 11, 2019, 10:28 PM (IST)
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
A worker places a dead bird into a sack, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on Monday, November 11, 2019. PTI
Jaipur, November 11
Hundreds of migratory birds of over a dozen species have been found dead in Sambhar lake area near Jaipur.
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
wonderfull
Member
It is a matter of great sadness and also a matter of concern, we have to think about the safety of our environment and innocent species of our earth from today and do more.Posted at: Nov 11, 2019, 9:19 PM; last updated: Nov 11, 2019, 10:28 PM (IST)
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
A worker places a dead bird into a sack, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on Monday, November 11, 2019. PTI
Jaipur, November 11
Hundreds of migratory birds of over a dozen species have been found dead in Sambhar lake area near Jaipur.
Water contamination is suspected to be the cause behind the birds’ death, said officials, adding, the exact reason, however, would be clear only after testing their viscera.
The birds, numbering around 1,500, were found dead on Sunday in over five to seven square km area around the Sambhar Lake, which is a well-known wetland of international importance and is visited by tens of thousands of migratory birds during winter.
After receiving the information about dead birds from local residents, a team of revenue, forest and veterinary officials visited the area and found around 1,500 carcasses of 15 species, including those of Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Shelduck, Plovers, Avocets and others.
“Samples were collected by the veterinary team and sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Centre, Bhopal. The result is expected in four to five days,” a forest department official said.
Carcasses have been disposed and the area is being thoroughly combed.
This is the second incident after a similar incident in Jodhpur’s Khinchan area, where thirty-seven demoiselle cranes were found dead on Thursday last week. Their viscera too have been sent for investigation and reports are awaited. — PTI
Mystery shrouds death of thousands of birds around Sambhar Lake
adsatinder
Peace
Toxin responsible for death of birds around Sambhar Lake, says expert
Published on :15 Nov 2019 , 03:16 pm IST
With the recovery of a large number of dead migratory birds around Sambhar Lake in Jaipur, experts believe that the reason behind their death could be a serious neuromuscular illness in birds caused by a toxin. The state government has ordered an investigation into the death of around a thousand birds in the vicinity of the lake.
Jaipur (Rajasthan): AK Katariya, Professor, Apex Centre for Animal Disease, Bikaner on Friday suggested that the mysterious deaths of a large number of birds in Jaipur are probably because of Avian Botulism, a serious neuromuscular illness of birds caused by a toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium.
"Symptom of paralyzes in wings suggest the death of birds could be due to Avian Botulism. This disease is caused due to exposure to bacteria caused by dead birds or by eating food. After falling prey to this disease, the birds are unable to walk and fly which leads to their death," he said while speaking to a media agency in New Delhi.
Around 1000 birds have been found dead around the country's largest inland saltwater lake - Sambhar Lake situated in Jaipur on Tuesday, November 12.
The carcasses include not only the indigenous but also migratory birds that flock to the lake each year.
The state government has ordered an investigation into the death of around a thousand birds in the vicinity of the lake.
Terming the birds' death as 'worrying,' the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the government was taking "immediate steps to prevent deaths during this migratory season."
According to an officer, around thousand birds of 20-25 species were found dead on Tuesday morning around Sambhar Lake in Dudu. The authorities believe that the deaths were caused due to water contamination.
ETV Bharat
Published on :15 Nov 2019 , 03:16 pm IST
With the recovery of a large number of dead migratory birds around Sambhar Lake in Jaipur, experts believe that the reason behind their death could be a serious neuromuscular illness in birds caused by a toxin. The state government has ordered an investigation into the death of around a thousand birds in the vicinity of the lake.
Jaipur (Rajasthan): AK Katariya, Professor, Apex Centre for Animal Disease, Bikaner on Friday suggested that the mysterious deaths of a large number of birds in Jaipur are probably because of Avian Botulism, a serious neuromuscular illness of birds caused by a toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium.
"Symptom of paralyzes in wings suggest the death of birds could be due to Avian Botulism. This disease is caused due to exposure to bacteria caused by dead birds or by eating food. After falling prey to this disease, the birds are unable to walk and fly which leads to their death," he said while speaking to a media agency in New Delhi.
Around 1000 birds have been found dead around the country's largest inland saltwater lake - Sambhar Lake situated in Jaipur on Tuesday, November 12.
The carcasses include not only the indigenous but also migratory birds that flock to the lake each year.
The state government has ordered an investigation into the death of around a thousand birds in the vicinity of the lake.
Terming the birds' death as 'worrying,' the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the government was taking "immediate steps to prevent deaths during this migratory season."
According to an officer, around thousand birds of 20-25 species were found dead on Tuesday morning around Sambhar Lake in Dudu. The authorities believe that the deaths were caused due to water contamination.
ETV Bharat
adsatinder
Peace
Mass bird deaths at Sambhar Lake point to problem within | India Today Insight
A Union environment ministry report has found the health of the lake’s ecosystem at its worst.
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Rohit Parihar
Jaipur
November 21, 2019
UPDATED: November 21, 2019 13:57 IST
A dead bird is seen in the foreground as forest and civic workers collect dead birds in sacks, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on November 11. (PTI Photo)
Late October, Rajasthan woke up to one of India's worst avian catastrophes. Bird carcasses began appearing on the banks of the Sambhar Lake, a 230 square kilometre saltwater body located 80 kilometres southwest of Jaipur. The numbers surged as the days went by until the lake's banks were carpeted with lifeless heaps of bird feathers. The deaths hit 29 species, including the Northern Shovelers that had flown in from Europe, and Pallas's Gulls, natives of Mongolia and southern Russia.
Naturalists call such events 'die-off'. They happen rarely, but Indian ornithologists say they are yet to see an event where birds have died in such numbers.
The Rajasthan government is groping for answers. The state hosts one of India's largest migratory bird populations. Every October, hundreds of thousands of birds begin to fly in to Rajasthan, leaving by mid-February. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has so far held three meetings with top state officials, expressing deep anguish at the deaths. He has ordered that the state wetland authority be made operational. The central government has sent experts from across the country to investigate the avian deaths. On November 20, the Rajasthan High Court took notice of the tragedy and sought a report from amicus curiae Nitin Jain.
Authorities are burying the piling bird carcasses in pits after wrapping them in polythene sheets. This has raised concerns about the risk of contamination of soil, water and salt produced in the area.
Dead birds at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on November 11. (Photo
TI)
State animal husbandry authorities take the lead in case of any widespread mortality of wild animals and birds since there is a risk of transmission of the prevailing disease/ infection to domestic animals and poultry. Samples of Sambhar's bird carcasses have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly, the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore. Bird flu has been ruled out.
Mass deaths among migratory birds are not uncommon. In the US, thousands of blackbirds were found dead on roads on January 1, 2011. The tragedy occurred in Beebe, Arkansas. In Gujarat, hundreds of migratory seagulls turned up dead in Jamnagar in 2005. In the case of the Sambhar Lake, it is the high mortality rate that has sparked concern. It ranks on par with the death of an estimated 750,000 migrating Lapland Longspurs in Worthington, Minnesota, as reported by the Quarterly Journal of Ornithology in 1904.
Unlike the West, India has no long-term data or eco-toxicological studies. Toxins, pollutants, virus, bacteria and fungus are thought to be the usual suspects in such tragedies. Biochemical investigations are complex and take time. The Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University in Bikaner has said it suspects avian botulism to be the cause of deaths at the Sambhar Lake. However, the symptoms stated by the institution are at best generic.
In laboratories around the world, scientists struggle with botulism given the mutations and sub-types of the bacterium and the sub-types of the toxin. False positives are common. Birds contract botulism from rotting fish or stale food dumped by humans. The death of seagulls in Jamnagar in 2005 was initially attributed to bird flu. Eventually, HSADL concluded the cause to be low-quality 'ganthia', a flour-based savoury, fed to birds by locals in Jamnagar.
Civic workers prepare to bury birds which were found dead at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan. (Photo : PTI)
In the case of Sambhar Lake, suspicion has turned towards the lake itself. Under its plan to rejuvenate six wetlands in Rajasthan, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change had sought a report on the health of the ecosystems at the Sambhar Lake and five other spots. A report submitted in the last week of October rated Sambhar, Mansagar in Jaipur and Udaipur's Fatehsagar, Pichola and Udaisagar as the worst. The Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur fared slightly better. Some of the problems in Sambhar were identified as lack of oxygen in the lake's water, high salinity, and high level of invasive living organisms. Experts also suspect poisonous algae and dumping of waste and carcasses in the lake behind the epidemic.
Most of the Sambhar Lake is deemed to be state government revenue land. While about 90 square miles of it is leased to Sambhar Salts Limited, a central government undertaking which produces salt for human consumption, illegal salt production by private players thrives. Most of the area is a 'dark zone', with very low levels of groundwater. However, borewells flourish, drawing groundwater to fill the fields where salt is extracted. The forest department is reluctant to intervene unless it has reason to believe there is violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. "You can neither do treatment at the 230 square kilometre-long lake nor chase away the migratory birds," says a state forest officer.
Ironically, the deaths have taken place even as successive governments have looked at the Sambhar Lake as a source of revenue. The lake's banks are being eyed as potential sites for solar power generation. Saving the lake that hosts migratory birds appears to be low priority, at least for the moment.
Mass bird deaths at Sambhar Lake point to problem within
A Union environment ministry report has found the health of the lake’s ecosystem at its worst.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rohit Parihar
Jaipur
November 21, 2019
UPDATED: November 21, 2019 13:57 IST
A dead bird is seen in the foreground as forest and civic workers collect dead birds in sacks, at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on November 11. (PTI Photo)
Late October, Rajasthan woke up to one of India's worst avian catastrophes. Bird carcasses began appearing on the banks of the Sambhar Lake, a 230 square kilometre saltwater body located 80 kilometres southwest of Jaipur. The numbers surged as the days went by until the lake's banks were carpeted with lifeless heaps of bird feathers. The deaths hit 29 species, including the Northern Shovelers that had flown in from Europe, and Pallas's Gulls, natives of Mongolia and southern Russia.
Naturalists call such events 'die-off'. They happen rarely, but Indian ornithologists say they are yet to see an event where birds have died in such numbers.
The Rajasthan government is groping for answers. The state hosts one of India's largest migratory bird populations. Every October, hundreds of thousands of birds begin to fly in to Rajasthan, leaving by mid-February. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has so far held three meetings with top state officials, expressing deep anguish at the deaths. He has ordered that the state wetland authority be made operational. The central government has sent experts from across the country to investigate the avian deaths. On November 20, the Rajasthan High Court took notice of the tragedy and sought a report from amicus curiae Nitin Jain.
Authorities are burying the piling bird carcasses in pits after wrapping them in polythene sheets. This has raised concerns about the risk of contamination of soil, water and salt produced in the area.
Dead birds at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan on November 11. (Photo
TI)State animal husbandry authorities take the lead in case of any widespread mortality of wild animals and birds since there is a risk of transmission of the prevailing disease/ infection to domestic animals and poultry. Samples of Sambhar's bird carcasses have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly, the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore. Bird flu has been ruled out.
Mass deaths among migratory birds are not uncommon. In the US, thousands of blackbirds were found dead on roads on January 1, 2011. The tragedy occurred in Beebe, Arkansas. In Gujarat, hundreds of migratory seagulls turned up dead in Jamnagar in 2005. In the case of the Sambhar Lake, it is the high mortality rate that has sparked concern. It ranks on par with the death of an estimated 750,000 migrating Lapland Longspurs in Worthington, Minnesota, as reported by the Quarterly Journal of Ornithology in 1904.
| Species | Summer Grounds | Wintering Grounds |
| Northern Shoveller | North Europe & Asia | South Europe, Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Central & South America, east coastal USA |
| Pintail | Europe, Asia & North America | South of equator including Southern Asia, |
| Tufted Duck | Temperate & North Eurasia | South and West Europe, Asia and UK |
| Common Teal | Northern Eurasia | Japan, Taiwan, South east Asia Middle east, Africa |
| Gadwall | Northern Eurasia and USA | Asia, Arabia |
| Brown-headed Gull | Tibet, China | India - coastal and large water bodies |
| Gull billed Tern | Southern Europe, East Asia, Coastal USA | Africa, Caribbean, South Asia, New Zealand |
| Pallas's Gull | Southern Russia, Mongolia | India, Arabia, Mediterranean |
| Pied Avocet | Temperate Europe, West & Central Asia | Africa, India, Southern Asia |
| Ruff | Northern Eurasia | Southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia |
| Kentish Plover | Africa, Europe Asia | Asia, Africa, Europe |
Unlike the West, India has no long-term data or eco-toxicological studies. Toxins, pollutants, virus, bacteria and fungus are thought to be the usual suspects in such tragedies. Biochemical investigations are complex and take time. The Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University in Bikaner has said it suspects avian botulism to be the cause of deaths at the Sambhar Lake. However, the symptoms stated by the institution are at best generic.
In laboratories around the world, scientists struggle with botulism given the mutations and sub-types of the bacterium and the sub-types of the toxin. False positives are common. Birds contract botulism from rotting fish or stale food dumped by humans. The death of seagulls in Jamnagar in 2005 was initially attributed to bird flu. Eventually, HSADL concluded the cause to be low-quality 'ganthia', a flour-based savoury, fed to birds by locals in Jamnagar.
Civic workers prepare to bury birds which were found dead at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan. (Photo : PTI)
In the case of Sambhar Lake, suspicion has turned towards the lake itself. Under its plan to rejuvenate six wetlands in Rajasthan, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change had sought a report on the health of the ecosystems at the Sambhar Lake and five other spots. A report submitted in the last week of October rated Sambhar, Mansagar in Jaipur and Udaipur's Fatehsagar, Pichola and Udaisagar as the worst. The Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur fared slightly better. Some of the problems in Sambhar were identified as lack of oxygen in the lake's water, high salinity, and high level of invasive living organisms. Experts also suspect poisonous algae and dumping of waste and carcasses in the lake behind the epidemic.
Most of the Sambhar Lake is deemed to be state government revenue land. While about 90 square miles of it is leased to Sambhar Salts Limited, a central government undertaking which produces salt for human consumption, illegal salt production by private players thrives. Most of the area is a 'dark zone', with very low levels of groundwater. However, borewells flourish, drawing groundwater to fill the fields where salt is extracted. The forest department is reluctant to intervene unless it has reason to believe there is violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. "You can neither do treatment at the 230 square kilometre-long lake nor chase away the migratory birds," says a state forest officer.
Ironically, the deaths have taken place even as successive governments have looked at the Sambhar Lake as a source of revenue. The lake's banks are being eyed as potential sites for solar power generation. Saving the lake that hosts migratory birds appears to be low priority, at least for the moment.
Mass bird deaths at Sambhar Lake point to problem within