# 2602
On November 28th, the news wires began carrying stories of an H5N1 outbreak in poultry in Assam, India. Local officials were optimistically predicting that roughly 30,000 birds needed culling, and that it would be completed in 3 or 4 days.
"The entire culling process is expected to be completed in three to four days as our teams are visiting each and every household in the area. We estimate there could be some 30,000 poultry birds in the area where culling is currently underway," said Manoranjan Choudhury, deputy director of the Assam veterinary department.
That was one month, and 500,000 birds ago. Obviously things have not gone as planned.
According to authorities, some villagers are continuing their opposition to the cull, hiding their poultry and occasionally meeting cullers with armed resistance.
New areas in Assam are still reporting sudden bird deaths, and the culling zones are being expanded. Meanwhile, culling operations are also ongoing in West Bengal.
This from Indiopia.
Culling continues in Assam, people resist operations
Published: December 28,2008
Guwahati , Dec 28 Culling operations continued in some areas of birdflu-hit Assam today but resistance by local people hampered the effort of the authorities to create bird free zones in some areas.
Official sources said here that culling operations continued in new areas of Nagaon and Chirang districts with the respective Deputy Commissioners issuing instructions to ensure that the operations did not get hampered.
Though the district administration had embarked on an awareness drive to educate the people about the perils of avian influenza and, villagers and poultry farmers opposed culling operation alleging that the compensation offered was not adequate.
Despite some opposition, authorities were working to create bird free zones', to contain any spread of the H5N1 virus, in Manahkuchi, Chayani Barduar blocks of Kamrup (rural) district, Tihu, Barama of Baksa, Chachaligaon Burachowk of Nagaon and Rangamati and Aurpakmoniari area of Kamrup (Metro) district.
