Kerala’s Kottayam district authorities have said that 28,500 to 35,000 birds will have to be culled starting Wednesday after bird flu was detected in three panchayat jurisdictions, The Hindu reported.

The disease was discovered among birds of Vechur, Aymanam and Kallara panchayats, the Hindustan Times reported. The samples were sent to Bhopal’s National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, where the positive results were confirmed.

Kottayam District Collector PK Jayasree conducted an emergency meeting on Tuesday, wherein it was decided that all domestic birds within one-kilometre radius of the areas where the virus has been detected, will be culled, The Hindu reported. Ten rapid response teams of the Animal Husbandry Department have been sent for the culling operations.

The collector announced that up to Rs 200 compensation will be given against culling of every duck.

Transport or rearing of poultry, including ducks, chicken, quail and other domestic birds, has been banned in the one-kilometre area where the virus was found.

On Tuesday, bird flu in ducks was confirmed in two more gram panchayats in Alappuzha district, The Hindu reported.

Last week, 9,000 birds were culled after the disease was detected in Thakazhy gram panchayat in Alappuzha district.