Kathmandu, June 20 (IANS) Nepal’s Central Zoo in the Kathmandu Valley has been closed indefinitely since Friday after bird flu was detected in more than a dozen birds and animals.

The zoo, home to a wide variety of wildlife, is one of the major attractions for holidaymakers, students, and tourists visiting the Valley.

Issuing a notice late Friday, the Central Zoo authorities said the facility has been closed until further notice to protect the health and safety of the general public and visitors following the detection of avian influenza (bird flu) infections among birds and animals inside the zoo premises. The National Trust for Nature Conservation is responsible for operating the Central Zoo.

Although human-to-human transmission of bird flu is rare, there are instances where people in daily contact with infected birds have contracted the virus.

Ganesh Koirala, an information officer at the Central Zoo, told IANS that the zoo has been closed for disinfection following the detection of bird flu. “The zoo is expected to remain closed for at least one week, and it may be prolonged depending on the risk,” he said.

According to him, more than a dozen animals — mostly birds, along with a few mammals such as leopard cats, jungle cats, and civets — have been found infected with the virus.

The zoo authorities, however, have not made any plan to carry out wholesale culling of birds, unlike in poultry farms.

Animals housed at the zoo were infected as the disease spread in the Kathmandu Valley in recent days after it was first detected in eastern Morang district of Koshi Province on March 18 this year.

Since then, at least 55 poultry farms in 10 districts have been affected, forcing authorities to destroy a total of 479,156 birds and 694,193 eggs, according to the Department of Livestock Services. Likewise, 182,775 kg of animal feed was also destroyed, it said.

“The outbreak appears to be contained and remains under control in Koshi Province. However, the increasing number of affected farms in the Kathmandu Valley highlights continued transmission dynamics and underscores the need for strengthened biosecurity, surveillance, and response interventions,” the department said.

–IANS

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