Over 400 migratory birds die mysteriously in Pong wetlands

Shimla, Dec 30 : Over 400 migratory birds, the endangered bar-headed geese, died mysteriously in the past two days in the Pong Dam wetlands, one of the largest man-made wetlands in northern India in Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
Preliminary findings of their postmortem have ruled out poisoning as the cause of their death, they said.
An official report quoting the Deputy Chief Conservator (Wildlife) in Hamirpur said that the field staff reported the sudden death of four bar-headed geese and one common teal in Fatehpur area on December 28.
The next day, the field staff were ordered to carry out a search of the entire area of the sanctuary and 421 bar-headed geese were found dead in the wildlife range of Dhameta and Guglara areas of the Nagrota range.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania said that the Wildlife Wing has initiated a probe into the deaths of the migratory birds.
After receiving the reports of the samples sent to different institutions, strict action will be taken against those found guilty, he added.