Mysterious deaths: 10 peacocks drop dead in Tharparkar

MITHI:

Ten peacocks have died and several others are suffering from an unknown disease in Singalo village, Tharparkar. A number of birds died due to Ranikhet disease in Tharparkar last year and the residents of the village feel that the birds might be suffering from the same disease as the symptoms are similar.

“The members of the wildlife department have yet to visit the district,” said a resident, Muhammad Moosa Rahimoon. Another resident, Allah Dino Rahimoon, felt that the weather was to blame for the deaths. “We are keeping the birds in the shade at homes and are trying to cure them using traditional medicines,” he said.

The villagers fear that the disease could spread and could infect peacocks in other villages. Several teams from the Sindh Wildlife Department visited various parts of Tharparkar after the peacocks fell ill last year. The provincial department had claimed that only a few birds died from the disease. Media reports alleged, however, that a substantial number of birds had died from Ranikhet last year. No wildlife official was available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2013.