Agartala, February 29, 2024: The city of Tripura’s Udaipur, known for its scenic lakes and temples, is witnessing a disturbing phenomenon: the death of several migratory birds. The cause of the deaths is still unknown, and the Forest department is investigating the matter.

According to local sources, migratory birds flock to Udaipur every winter, especially to Sukhsagar Lake, a popular tourist spot. However, this year, the arrival of the birds was delayed due to the mild weather conditions in Tripura. By the end of January, some of the birds started to appear in various reservoirs and ponds in the city.

But the joy of the birdwatchers was short-lived, as they discovered the dead bodies of the birds in different places. On Thursday morning, some residents who went out for a morning walk noticed some migratory birds lying on the road on the bank of Jagannath Dighi, a small lake near the city center. They also saw some birds falling from the sky and dying. They alerted the forest department officials, who rushed to the spot and collected the carcasses.

The Forest department also received reports of bird deaths from other places, such as Sukhsagar Lake, Mahadev Dighi, and some nearby houses. The officials said that they have sent the samples of the dead birds to the veterinary college in Agartala for post-mortem and analysis. They suspect that the birds might have died due to some infection or poisoning, but they are waiting for the results to confirm the exact cause.

Udaipur sub-divisional forest officer Bimal Banik said that they are taking all the necessary steps to protect the remaining birds and prevent the spread of any disease. He said that they have cordoned off the areas where the bird deaths have taken place and have advised the public to avoid contact with the birds. He also said that they have contacted the wildlife experts and the state animal husbandry department for guidance and assistance.

This is not the first time that Udaipur has witnessed such a tragedy. In January 2022, more than 100 migratory birds from California in the United States were found dead in Sukhsagar Lake. The forest officers said that the birds had died due to avian botulism, a type of bacterial infection that affects the nervous system of the birds.

The death of the migratory birds has raised concerns among the environmentalists and the bird lovers, who fear that the incident might affect the biodiversity and the tourism of the city. They have urged the authorities to find out the cause of the death and take preventive measures to save the birds. They have also appealed to the people to report any unusual behavior or death of the birds to the forest department.