A sarus crane (Antigone antigone) at the Central Zoo in Kathmandu. Image by Shadow Ayush via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0).

• At least 40 animals have died at Nepal’s Central Zoo since a bird flu outbreak began in mid-June, most of them raptors and carnivores including a common leopard, though the zoo has refused to officially confirm the toll.
• Officials gave conflicting dates for when the first dead birds were found, and the zoo stayed open until June 19 despite a positive rapid test on June 14, a five-day gap that allowed the virus to spread through the facility.
• Investigators suspect feral crows were the likely vector, with a nest found near the barn owl enclosure and droppings possibly contaminating the owl’s water supply; contaminated raw chicken fed to carnivores is also being examined.
• The inquiry into the response is being led by the same spokesperson who has publicly defended the zoo’s handling of the outbreak.

KATHMANDU — A dead crow was found inside Nepal’s Central Zoo around “mid-June,” the exact date remains unknown. Then birds, including a barn owl (Tyto alba) tested positive for avian influenza (bird flu) in a rapid test. Zoo authorities then sent samples to the Central Veterinary Laboratory on June 15.

The zoo and officials from the semi-government body running it have given conflicting accounts of when the first deaths were detected and when bird flu was suspected. The facility remained open for several days, raising questions over its disease response during a major outbreak in Kathmandu Valley, where infected crows and fowl had already been reported in nearby Kirtipur.

Ganesh Koirala, spokesperson for the Central Zoo, said officials found a dead crow inside the zoo on June 13. “Although the rapid test had already indicated infection, laboratory confirmation was necessary,” Koirala said. “It took 72 hours for the lab to send the results.”

That account differs from Rachana Shah, spokesperson for the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), the semi-government body that manages the zoo. She said a crow and a pigeon were found dead on June 12, a date also confirmed by a veterinary official.

“During summer, pigeons and crows can also die because of heat stress, so at that point we could not immediately conclude that it was bird flu,” she said. But Koirala’s timeline indicated the zoo had an early warning by June 14. By the time laboratory confirmation arrived, the infection had spread already beyond the first dead birds. Vultures, owls, swans and cranes were infected.

“Small mammals such as leopard cats and civets were also infected and a couple of them died,” Koirala said. “We also treated those that were symptomatic so that they would not develop or spread secondary infections.”

Babulal Tiruwa, the zoo’s acting chief, said he was not allowed to disclose the number of deaths, citing official protocol. But two sources from the zoo confirmed to Mongabay that at least 40 individuals, most of them meat-eating raptors and carnivores, including a common leopard (Panthera pardus), have died since the outbreak started.

“We have also noticed that most of the animals that have died were not in the best of their health even before the outbreak or were old,” a zoo staffer told Mongabay, requesting not to be named as they weren’t permitted to talk to the media. They also noticed infected animals were brooding and appeared tired.

Where did the virus come from?

The outbreak, the first of its kind in the zoo’s history, has raised questions including how the virus entered and why the zoo was not closed sooner. Spread across six hectares (15 acres), the Central Zoo is home to 942 individual animals, including mammals, birds, and fish, and 127 species of reptiles. It has more than 1 million visitors annually.

Mukul Upadhyaya, an official at the Department of Livestock Services, told Mongabay that infection through raw chicken, fed to the carnivores at the zoo, is possible, but only under specific conditions. “The meat would have to come from birds infected with avian influenza and carry enough live virus,” said Upadhyaya, who also serves as focal person for avian influenza control programs. He added that the virus would also need to survive transport and handling.

Authorities are also looking at feral crows, a common sight in Kathmandu, as a potential source of the outbreak. A member of the investigation committee looking into the outbreak told Mongabay that a crow nest was found near the barn owl enclosure. “It is possible that droppings from infected crows contaminated the water the owl was drinking when the virus was transmitted to the owl,” said the member, who requested not to be named as they weren’t authorized to talk to the media.

Ornithologist Krishna Bhusal, who specializes in vultures, also shares a similar view. “The infection was initially detected in free-ranging house crows (Corvus splendens) and common pigeons (Columba livia), urban-adapted bird species frequently observed within the zoo premises.” They could have brought the virus to the zoo, he added.

Questions around zoo’s closure

The zoo closed to the public on June 19. Rachana Shah said the laboratory report arrived on June 17 and officials decided the next day to close the zoo. She said the authorities worried that it may spread further during Bhoto Jatra, a nearby chariot festival on June 20 attended by hundreds of people and several dignitaries.

As per Koirala’s timeline, the zoo found a dead crow on June 13, recorded a positive rapid test on June 14 and sent samples for confirmation on June 15. The zoo was closed four days later. Koirala declined to say how many birds and animals had died.

After media reports alleged a delay and cover-up, NTNC formed a three-member inquiry committee led by Rachana Shah. The then zoo chief Satya Narayan Shah was transferred to NTNC’s central office. Satya Narayan Shah denied the allegations, saying the zoo, in consultation with NTNC, decided at a June 18 meeting to close after the outbreak. But later that afternoon, he received a letter instructing him to return to NTNC. “We followed all the protocols,” said Satya Narayan Shah, an engineer by training with a master’s degree in natural resource management.

“Since the zoo chief was under investigation, he was transferred to ensure a fair process,” Rachana Shah, who is not related to the former zoo chief, told Mongabay.

Koirala rejected news reports linking the transfer to mishandling. “Regarding zoo chief Shah being recalled to the NTNC, the allegations against him are baseless,” Koirala said. “He had been deputed to the zoo from the NTNC, where his position remains. He has now returned to his office there.”

The bird flu outbreak in Nepal

Bird flu was first detected in eastern Nepal in mid-March, following a four-year gap. After cases were confirmed in Morang and Jhapa districts, authorities culled more than 400,000 birds, according to Upadhyaya with the Department of Livestock Services. The outbreak later spread to south-central Nepal before Kathmandu Valley became a major hotspot.

Upadhyaya said the virus was detected among crows in Kirtipur about a week after the outbreak in eastern Nepal. “When our team visited the affected site in Kirtipur Municipality, we found the remains and bones of dead crows,” he said. “We do not know exactly when they died, but laboratory tests confirmed avian influenza.”

The aftermath

Koirala said the outbreak has since been largely contained. Another zoo staffer said that large scale animal deaths have not been reported since June 24, 2026. Investigation committee members visited the zoo on June 24 and 25, two members confirmed. However, they have been told not to release any information about the incident to the media.

Conservationist and ornithologist Rajendra Suwal said the incident points to wider gaps in how Nepal monitors disease risks around wild and captive animals, especially at sites where birds and scavengers gather in large numbers. Suwal said he had warned in March that frequent feeding at the vulture restaurant in Kawasoti was attracting not only vultures but also crows, wild boar and even rhinos drawn by the salt in the meat.

“When birds concentrate in large numbers in a limited space, pathogens can spread more easily,” he said. “If a disease breaks out at such a site, it could become a catastrophe and undo years of progress in vulture conservation.”

He said zoos, unlike open feeding sites, should have proper inventories, quarantine systems, postmortems after deaths and proactive disease-response protocols. “Zoo authorities need to think proactively, not react only after deaths occur, if they are to protect captive animals,” he told Mongabay.

Author Deepak Adhikari's story was first published in Mongabay on 25 Jun 2026