Around 22,000 ducks die in Thalavady, Pallippad With ducks dying in large numbers in Kuttanad and upper Kuttanad, samples of affected birds will be sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for analysis. According to authorities, around 22,000 ducks died in the past week or so. Majority of the dead ducks belonged to two farmers in Thalavady and Pallippad grama panchayats. The decision to send samples to NIHSAD was taken after tests conducted at a virology lab in Thiruvananthapuram was inconclusive. Officials said that necropsy had found bacterial, fungal infections, ascites, and liver, heart and lung diseases in ducks.