Tigress dies of bird flu in Gorakhpur; all UP zoos and Etawah lion safari shut for a week

All three zoos in Uttar Pradesh, located in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur, along with the lion safari in Etawah, have been closed for a week after a tigress at the Gorakhpur Zoo tested positive for bird flu (H5N1). The tigress, named Shakti, died on May 7.

Anuradha Vemuri, the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), announced on Tuesday that the highest safety protocols are now in place. “The highest protocol is in place. The zoos in Lucknow, Kanpur and Gorakhpur districts and the lion safari in Etawah shall remain closed for a week,” Vemuri said.

The decision to close down the zoos came after the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the strain in the tigress at the Gorakhpur Zoo in its lab report.

The state’s tiger reserves have also been told to stay on alert. Forest officials have asked reserve staff to closely watch animal behaviour and report any signs of illness or sudden deaths.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday, chaired a high-level meeting and directed officials to enforce maximum vigilance across all zoos in the state. He also emphasiSed that the safety of animals in zoos, national parks, bird sanctuaries, and cow shelters must be treated as a top priority.

“Regular sanitisation of zoo premises and blow torching, along with health screenings for all wild animals and birds, should be done on all zoo campuses. Strict inspection of the animals’ food to prevent any contamination should be done,” the CM said.

Dr Yogesh Singh, the veterinary doctor at Gorakhpur Zoo, said that over 100 staff members who may have come in contact with the tigress had their blood samples taken. “Their reports are expected by Wednesday. Also, the entire zoo premises had been sanitised,” Singh was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.

Apart from bird flu, tests also found that the tigress had a rare bacterial infection caused by Vibrio, a type of bacteria usually found in fish and seabirds. This infection can spread through direct contact, which has made zoo and health officials even more cautious.

The tigress Shakti was just over two years old and had been rescued from Mailani in Lakhimpur Kheri in May 2024 before being brought to Gorakhpur Zoo. Gorakhpur Zoo Director Vikas Yadav said emergency protocols had been activated. Biological samples were collected from zoo employees and veterinary staff for testing.

In January this year, three tigers and a leopard were killed due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) at the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur, Maharashtra. In the same month, bird flu was also detected in three pet cats and a live bird at a bird market in Madhya Pradesh as part of the surveillance measures put in place by the state’s department of animal husbandry.