This is the first incidence of massive bird flu disease among the poultry birds of local species in the area.

In the first week of June, some 40 chickens died of an unknown disease in Dighipara, Chandapara, Nalipara and Khubupara villages of Satnala union, locals said.

Samples of the dead chicken were sent to Chirirbandar Livestock Office that sent the samples to Joypurhat Livestock Research Institute and Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute at Savar in Dhaka for testing and the reports identified the disease as bird flu (B1H5), district livestock officials said.

As the reports reached Dinajpur on Wednesday evening, a team led by Chirirbandar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mominul Islam along with three magistrates, officers and employees of district and upazila livestock offices, police and BDR went to the affected village the same night.

They started killing and burying the domestic chickens, ducks and pigeons at 12:30pm and it continued till Thursday morning.

The upazila administration told the poultry farmers that they would be compensated while the local union parishad arranged announcement through loudspeakers to make people aware of bird flu disease.

District administrative officials said the situation is under control and as a precautionary measure poultry farmers in those villages have been instructed not to rear chicken, duck and pigeon for the next three months.