Amid Coronavirus Rumours, Karnataka Farmer Buries Thousands Of Chickens Alive

Leading to a drop in rates and chicken sales due to coronavirus, a poultry farmer in Karnataka's Gokak dumped nearly 6,000 chickens into a large and buried them alive on March 9.

Ever since the coronavirus outbreak, a rumour linking meat consumption to the transmission of the virus has adversely impacted the poultry business.

Najeer Ahmed Makandar from Nulsoor in Belgavi's Gokak taluk said that he decided to kill the birds as he suffered massive losses. His chickens, which were earlier sold at ₹50-70 per kg, are now selling at as low as ₹5-10 per kg.

In another incident, 9,500 chicks were buried alive at Bangarpet taluk in Kolar district in a farm owned by one Ramachandra Reddy, The News Minute reported.

Since the outbreak of the deadly virus, a number of messages with fake claims are also being circulated, creating panic among people.

One such viral message circulating in WhatsApp groups in Bengaluru reads: "High alert: Chicken infected from coronavirus found in Bangalore today, kindly circulate the message and avoid consumption of chicken. Spread to your dear ones."

Health professionals, however, have assured that the virus is spread only via air droplets from infected individuals or carriers.

Also Read: Busting Myths And Fake News Around Coronavirus Outbreak