Chintamani, 25 Aug

Over 100 pigs have died of African Swine Flu at a rearing farm in Hebbari village under Ulavadi Gram Panchayat in Chintamani taluk, Chikkaballapur district.

Karnataka government authorities confirmed the outbreak after laboratory tests on carcass samples returned positive.

Farm owner Venkatareddy raised alarm when several Yorkshire pigs began dying suddenly. Officials from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Biological rushed to the spot, collected samples, and later began culling the remaining stock.

On Friday, 57 surviving pigs, aged between two and six months, were culled and buried in pits lined with limestone to prevent spread.

Deputy Director Dr. Rangappa said the pigs had been brought from Hassan months ago and were reared for meat marketing. While the flu is not zoonotic, he said strict containment measures are essential. The outbreak was recently detected in Kunigal and Devanahalli as well.

Authorities assured compensation to the farmer as per norms, stressing that protocols followed are similar to bird flu management, with surveillance stepped up to prevent further spread.