The Meghalaya administration today began culling of chickens in and around a government-run farm in East Garo Hills district following reports of bird flu there, the Chief Minister, MR Mukul Sangma, said.
Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory confirmed presence of the virus in blood samples of the fowls in the farm last evening, he said.
While one team had been pressed into service for culling at the farm having more than 6,000 birds, another was busy in nearby villages within a radius of 10 km.
The district administration has alerted the adjacent West and South Garo Hills districts as well as Assam's Goalpara, Dhubri and Kamrup districts, official sources said.