Recently, thousands of birds were killed in the shoreline of whic

SOLUTION

The correct answer is Sambhar Lake.

• Thousands of birds were killed in the shoreline of Sambhar Lake by the infection of avian botulism, a deadly neuro-muscular illness.
• Botulism is a natural toxin produced by a bacterium (clostridium botulinum). It binds to nerve endings and interferes with muscle movements preventing to hold up the head or to fly.

• The toxin has been recognised as a major cause of mortality in wild birds since the 1900s.
• Avian botulism most often affects waterfowl as they need to keep their heads up to save themselves from drowning.
• In November 2019, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute reported that Avian botulism killed approx 18000 birds at Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan.
• IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute) reported that avian botulism was caused by climate change. Water levels were fluctuating throughout the year and it reached the lake bed after a gap of 20 years.
• The illness affected the nervous system of birds, leading to flaccid paralysis in their legs and wings and neck touching the ground.
• The good monsoon provided a favourable environment for the bacteria to spread. The IVRI report stated that when the water levels receded after the monsoon, there might have been an increase in salinity levels which could have led to the death of these living organisms.
• The scientists at IVRI also found the samples infested with maggots of the third stage with a clear indication that the avian mortality had occurred over a period of time.