Mystery shrouds death of 37 birds near Gondia

Vijay Pinjarkar | TNN | May 22, 2017, 03.20 AM ISTRepresentative image

NAGPUR: Death of 37 birds in Sakhri Ghat in Gondia has been shrouded in mystery with experts debating the birds dying of water or food poisoning.

The area where the birds were found dead falls between Khamtalao and Shenda in both territorial and FDCM forest areas and is 30km from Gondia.

The dead birds were first noticed on May 19, by Anil Kumar Nair, project coordinator with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Goregaon.

Nair suspects the birds allegedly died after inhaling carbon monoxide due to sudden combustion following forest fires perhaps ignited for tendu patta.

"We found the dead birds in 500 metre radius. It is not the case of water poisoning as being feared. Other animals including birds and herbivores quenched their thirst at a waterhole near the same spot and were absolutely normal," said Nair.

The list of dead birds included 9 white bellied drongo, 2 rufous treepie, 9 black-naped monarch, 2 greater racket tail drongo, 2 white-throated kingfisher, 6 Indian scops owls, and 1 each common hawk cuckoo, jungle babbler, oriental magpie robin, ashy drongo, shama, red-vented bulbul, and jungle owlet.


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