INDIAN CHUKOR

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1932, Page 5

INDIAN CHUKOR

SHIPMENT TO DOMINION

ONLY 23 OUT OF 680 SURVIVE

| By Telegraph, Per Press Association

AUCKLAND, May 13

Some , obscure disease is believ ed to be the cause of the excessive mortality among 680 chukor shipped lrem Calcutta for New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies bv the Narbada, which arrived at Auckland to-day. Only 2 3 of the birds arrived alive. /It was stated that the birds bad been kept in Calcutta for nearly two months before shipment. They are naturally cold weather birds, their natural habitat being in the Himalayas at a height of about 2090 ft, hut they stood the hot weather in Calcutta remarkably well. However, shortly after the Na.rbara left Calcutta the birds commenced to die in large numbers. Frequently tlm death rate was over 40 a day. The symptoms noted wi re that the birds’ eyes began to close up. and that they seemed to fall into a stupor. Four months ago the Narbada brought a consignment of 246 chukor to New Zealand, but only 20 died. On ti e | present trip they were iriven exactly tile same feed as bad been given the last consignment. It is suggested that } the fact that they wive packed 20 to a. crate instead of 12 In a crate as preI vionsly might have* had something to ■ do with the increased mortality. | The doctor on hoard the ship made j a post-mortem examination, and foum] the birds ti he in quite good condition J physically. However, several of the de-d birds l;i" e been kept in < old I storage for liii tho- t vaiiiina/ion in New I Zealand.