Thousands of chickens were left in the forests of Uttarakhand’s Nainital district alarming locals and prompting district authorities to file a first information report (FIR), officials said.
Rahul Rathi, in-charge of TP Nagar police post in Haldwani, said some unknown people left nearly 4000 chicken, some alive and some dead, in the forest near Anandpur village on Rampur Road.
When the panicked locals informed the administration, senior officials, police, veterinarians and forest officials reached the spot.
Rathi said he has filed a case against unknown persons in the matter. He added it is likely that they were left in the forest by some panicked poultry farm owner.
“We are trying to trace the accused and the vehicle with the help of CCTV cameras around the village and in the nearby areas,” he said.
Vivek Rai, sub-divisional-magistrate of Haldwani who along with a team of veterinarians reached the spot, said all the dead and alive chickens were buried in a deep pit with the help of an earthmoving machine.
The state veterinary department has also taken samples of two chickens.
Rai said he also ordered that an FIR be filed against unknown persons and by the forest department to nab the accused.
The spread of coronavirus has also hit the poultry business following social media messages that it was not safe to eat eggs or chickens.
Officials said it could be because of the messages that a poultry farm owner dumped the chickens in the forest.
Three people have tested positive for Sars-Cov-2 in the hill state so far, according to the Union health ministry.
