'Starvation, transportation stress probable causes of death'

Srinagar, Dec 8: A day after a truckload of chicken that had been issued a health certificate by the Animal Husbandry Department was found to have dead chicken, the department has issued a “rebuttal” narrating claims of the truck driver and the details of the post-mortem of birds carried out after the issue was highlighted by Greater Kashmir.

“It is for intimating that a poultry vehicle bearing registration No JK19A-9257 carrying 2700 birds reached the livestock check post Qazigund during early morning hours (4 am) on December 7, 2025. The health check-up of the birds was conducted by the quarantine officer, LSCP Zig Qazigund, and the birds were found apparently healthy,” reads the communication to Greater Kashmir. “The vehicle was allowed to proceed to its destination in the District Pulwama,” the letter states, without providing details on how a truckload without the mandatory details of the supplier, as evident from the health certificate, was allowed to proceed.

“However, as per the claims of the driver, there was reluctance in unloading the birds on the part of the dealer at Pulwama, hence the vehicle was directed to Batmalloo, Srinagar, for the unloading of birds. Moreover, there was a further delay in the unloading of birds at Tengpora, Batmalloo, as claimed by the driver in the video clip that surfaced on social media,” the letter states.

As the driver was unloading the birds at Tengpora Batmalloo, Srinagar, it came into the notice of some NGO that about 119 dead birds were present in the vehicle.

Soon, the incident came into the notice of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Kashmir, and the matter was promptly addressed by deputing a team of officials headed by VAS LFRCO Srinagar, the signing officer, Dr Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Liver Fluke and Rinderpest Control Officer, Kashmir, has written.

“The vehicle was halted at Qazigund enroute to Punjab,” he states.

He claims that the team of the quarantine officer LSCP Zig unloaded the mortality and conducted the post-mortem examination of dead birds and found there were “no abnormal symptoms pertaining to any disease, however, it was observed that the probable cause of death might have been prolonged starvation, transportation stress, dehydration, and hypothermia.”

After completion of post-mortem examination, the carcasses of the dead birds were disposed of by deep burial method at the old LSCP Zig Qazigund.

The officer has advised the public not to panic.