SUKKUR – As many as thirty peacocks have died of Ranikhet disease in the Thar region of Sindh during the last couple of days, according to locals. Besides the Dozens of peacocks are reportedly ill following the outbreak. The sudden spike in the deaths of the birds has sparked fear among locals who say this may be an outbreak of the highly contagious disease locally known as Ranikhet. Locals have criticised the Sindh Wildlife Department’s response to the situation, saying officials have failed to investigate the deaths despite repeated calls. However, the provincial wildlife has said its teams are providing assistance in the affected villages and working to investigate the deaths of the birds. For the past five years, the peacocks of the desert region have been dying due to the spread of a lethal disease usually witnessed in the summer or the past five years. In January this year, more than 50 peacocks died in three villages of Thar owing to a mysterious disease. In 2012, the dreadful viral disease Ranikhet claimed the lives of more than 167 peacocks within a period of 24 days in Thar. In 2015, almost 200 peacocks reportedly died in the Thar area due to similar reasons. Locals have said the root cause of this viral disease is hens, which spread among other avian, including peacocks. It’s believed that this disease cannot be controlled unless it is eradicated from where it originates.
