January 23, 2008

India's country chicken at risk of extinction
 

Scientists and experts warn that the state's indiscriminate culling of country chickens in the wake of bird flu outbreak might soon lead to their disappearance or even extinction.

Their numbers are diminishing at an alarming rate, and their sales have gone down to 15 percent of total number of chickens sold in the state. More than 100,000 country chickens have been culled at Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad.

Experts said that the chickens' gene bank in India are at risk of destruction. Barun Roy from West Bengal University of Animal and Fisheries Sciences, said that the culling rate could force a few varieties into extinction as India suffers from bird flu outbreaks almost every year.

Experts also pointed out that the culling has affected the rearing of backyard poultry - the only source of country chickens. Farmers are backing away due to a fear of losses. The bird flu scare in 2007 have caused the sales of chicken to fall by 30 percent, but this time sales have plunged by over 60 percent.

Bengal's poultry industry is losing Rs 7 million (US$177,056) each day.

Roy explained that while organised farms are in a better position to recover, the country chicken farmers have to just give up the trade so each time the bird flu strikes, country chickens are pushed a step towards extinction.

State workers have culled 400,000 birds so far but it is less than a quarter of the planned 2 million.