Bondla's two jungle cats died due to avian influenza: Govt lab report

Panaji: The avian influenza strain H5N1 has been detected in the jungle cats that died at the zoo in the Bondla wildlife sanctuary last month. This confirmation came from national authorities after tests were conducted on samples from the jungle cats.
“The disease is determined for the jungle cats. It is avian influenza H5N1,” principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Kamal Datta told TOI.
“It is govt of India that has given us the report. They have a laboratory at Bhopal, the national institute of high security animal diseases. They are the only competent authority to declare an H5N1 outbreak, and that laboratory found avian influenza H5N1 in the jungle cats’ samples,” he said.
The laboratory’s findings were promptly communicated to govt of India, which, in turn, notified the chief secretary of Goa to take appropriate measures to contain the spread of the disease. TOI reported on April 8 that the zoo is temporarily closed to the public since April 1, after three civet cats and two jungle cats succumbed to a viral infection.
Sources said that the death of the cats took place between March 6 and 9, while the order to quarantine the zoo came only by March 30. While avian influenza H5N1 was determined as the reason behind the death of the jungle cats, mystery shrouds the death of the civet cats. “For the civet cats, they could not find the reason for the infection,” Datta said. “However, following the five animals’ deaths, no additional mortalities have been reported. All other animals in the zoo are in good health,” he added.
A day after TOI reported the animal deaths, forest minister Vishwajit Rane expressed outrage over the sudden closure of the only zoo in Goa and reprimanded forest department officials for failing to communicate critical information about the death of five zoo animals.
Prior to the animal deaths, the central zoo authority (CZA) issued a circular to all zoos across the country, urging them to prepare for the potential ingress of avian influenza and to adhere to the national action plan for the prevention, control, and containment of avian influenza. Zoos have been advised to consult with the centre for wildlife, ICAR-Indian veterinary research institute (IVRI), Bareilly, for technical guidance on wildlife management, disease control, and diagnosis.
On Feb 11, 2025, Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, provided a written response in the Lok Sabha, detailing actions taken by govt of India to monitor and manage the health of captive animals in zoos.