In Odisha, culling of birds started in Bhubaneswar on Sunday following detection of avian flu H5N1 virus in a farm of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO). More than 18,000 of the 29,000 fowls have so far been culled by the five rapid response teams engaged in the work. A huge pit has been dug to bury the culled birds and elaborate arrangements have been made for disinfecting the area. Five more rapid response teams have been engaged for creating awareness among the people in Bhubaneswar. The culling operation has been launched a day after the Odisha government received an advisory from the Centre to eliminate poultry birds at the CPDO farm and three km radius area around it. The operation is likely to be completed in three days. H5N1 virus was reported at the farm after culling took place at Keranga in Khordha district and Betanati in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha last month. CPDO had sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, which confirmed the detection of bird flu virus.