India
This year long project jointly implemented by Wetlands International (WI) South Asia and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for WCS was completed at the end of Quarter 8.
Objectives were to conduct AI surveillance with wild birds, to enhance
veterinary staff capacity to handle wild birds, to detect and respond to outbreaks, and to understand transmission of avian influenza strains in migratory and resident wild bird species.
Surveillance
• 308 samples of 24 species were collected in total for this subaward and sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal between January 2007 and March 2008 from Chilika Lake. Of these, 216 samples from 22 species were collected during the 2007-2008 which included 25 sick birds of 6 species.
• 106 individuals of 22 species were sampled from Nandur Madhmeswar. Over
25% of these samples were garganey (Anas querquedula) and common teal (Anas crecca). All sampled individuals were ringed and released.
• Besides the regular study sites, samples were also collected from avian influenza outbreak areas in Manipur and West Bengal States. Two Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks were reported in July 2007 from Manipur and in January 2008 in West Bengal. July is the lean period for migratory birds in India whereas January is the peak period for wintering birds. In both times, the AI was confirmed from poultry. During both outbreaks, the BNHS team visited those areas to collect samples. In Manipur, wild birds were sampled from the surrounding area of the outbreak zone (5 km away) and from Manipur Zoological Garden (MZG). Sampling was also carried out in the Loktak Lake area, 50 km from the reported outbreak zone. A total of 50 samples of 11 species were collected in Manipur.
• In West Bengal, outbreaks were reported from13 districts, but sampling had to be restricted to only four districts. The samples were collected from Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Bakreshwar Dam from Birbum district; Purbasthali in Burdwan district; Ahiron in Nadia-Murshidabad district, and Kulik & Balurghat in North Dinajpur district respectively. In total 168 birds of 44species were sampled and ringed. Samples collected from Chilka and Nandur-Madhmeshwar were sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal, and samples collected from the high risk areas were directly taken to the laboratory by the BNHS veterinarian. Final results are pending.
The India team made regular visits to local bird trapping families in communities in the southeast coast (Tamil Nadu) of India, to monitor the trade in wild waterbirds, although sampling was not conducted.
Training
Two highly successful training courses were held during January and February 2008 at Chilika, and Nandur-Madhmeshwar/Gangapur. The training programme at Chilika was timely, since an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry was reported in West Bengal, a neighboring state.
• 19 participants representing Departments of Wildlife/Forests and Veterinary Svs. from Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh were trained during the Chilka Training Workshop, held at the Wetland Research and Training Center of the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), Chandraput. Training aimed at understanding complex interactions between wild and domestic birds in the spread of the virus and emphasized the importance of coordinated actions by the veterinarians and wildlife agencies. Dr. Taej Mundkur, Deputy Wildlife Coordinator for Avian Influenza (FAO) participated as a trainer. The course emphasized hands-on practice in capturing, sampling and surveying wild birds imparting knowledge on epidemiology; developing criteria for AI surveillance in wild bird; and early detection and control of highly pathogenic AI (H5N1) in poultry in Maharashtra.
• 818 birds of 12 species were ringed at Chilika.
• 43 participants from 7 states (Maharashtra M.P., Kerala, Karnataka, Kolkata,
Chattisghar, Goa) participated in the course at Nandur-Madmeshwar/ Gangapur, along with Mr. Sayam Uddin Chowdhury and Dr. Sajahan Sarder from Nature Conservation Committee, Bangladesh. Dr. C.L. Trisal, Director of Wetlands International - South Asia, delivered the welcome address. Mr. Mohan, Conservator of Forests, Government of Maharashtra emphasized that the state had faced an AI outbreak in February 2006 without the benefit of a formal training program like this; he sent 20 forest officials from his state to receive training at the workshop.
Bird population counts in key wetland sites for migratory birds
• Regular fortnightly bird population monitoring was carried out at Chilika Lake
from January-May 2007 and November-December 2007. Monthly surveys were
carried out from August to October.
• 124 species were recorded in Chilika. Among the ducks, northern pintail (Anas acuta) was predominant followed by the gadwall (Anas strepera).
• 5000 brahminy shelduck and 1200 bar-headed geese were also recorded during different periods of the year 2007.
• The over 820,000 individuals recorded during the Asian Waterbird Count on 12 January 2007 was the maximum waterbirds number observed in Chilika Lake.
• Regular monthly field population monitoring activities were carried out at
Nandur-Madhmeswar from January to December 2007. A total of 78 bird species were recorded.
• Monthly population monitoring was carried out in the Karaivetty Waterbird
Sanctuary from January 2007 onwards. A total of 153 bird species were recorded at Karaivetty during the surveys. Garganey (Anas querquedula) was the most common species among all ducks, and northern pintail (Anas acuta) and northern shoveller (Anas clypeata) were common duck species. A record of 1,500 barheaded geese were recorded in February.
• Bird mortality at Chilika was significantly lower during 2007–08 season as
compared to the previous two seasons. The death rate had declined over 80% compared to 2005-06. However, samples from 25 sick birds of 6 species were collected and sent to the HSADL laboratory for testing for H5N1.
• A comprehensive manual on bird identification, bird population monitoring and AI surveillance that the team prepared is expected to be ready for printing shortly.
Strengthening of the Asian-Pacific Working Group on Migratory Waterbirds and Avian Influenza
The Working Group consists of representatives from major flyway countries and partner agencies (linking with the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership and the Central Asian Flyway Action Plan). It provides a forum and framework for establishing flywaywide coordinated color marking protocols for higher risk species/groups and surveillance of selected species. The Group works with the established frameworks of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement and American Flyways to build alliances with partner
agencies in areas of flyway and species overlaps. Specific activities include the creation of a website on banding, color marking and satellite tracking of waterbirds in the Asia-Pacific region (
www.wetlands.tekdi.net). The site has been updated with responses and information from key contacts and experts in the region. Regular email group discussions have been held and updates of information on HPAI outbreaks in the region and relevant literature have been shared. WCS and its subawardee in India remain in close partnership with Dr. Sanjay Upadhyay (USAID), Dr. Mohinder Oberoi (FAO-India), and Dr. Scott Newman (FAO-Rome).
http://www.gains.org/Home/tabid/36/language/en-US/Default.aspx
------------------------------------------------------------------
I can post on the testing done in Mongolia, at Erhel Nuur and at Russia and Kazakhstan; but others may want to read the update for themselves.
