Rajshahi: Food poisoning might have killed about a hundred crows in Rajshahi recently, Rajshahi Divisional Livestock Officer Nizamuddin suspects.

He said they had collected saliva, blood and stool of 17 sick and dead crows to find out exact cause.

A team of ICDDR,B also collected specimen for examinations.

Rajshahi Medical College Hospital Director AFM Rafiqul Islam said hospital authorities immediately called and informed the livestock department officials about the death of a few crows on the hospital premises.

Nizamuddin said there is no serious reason to be panicked by the sudden death of a few crows.

Primary examinations say the birds have died of food poisoning.

The specimens were sent to Jaipurhat Regional Animal Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory for further investigation.

A few hundred crow lives on a tree in front of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Few crows were dropped on 3 February from the tree and died about three hours later, said witness Titu Sheikh.

Livestock officers visited the spot on 5 February and collected specimens from there.

Besides, several crows died on Shalbagan and Upashahar areas in the city.