Culling operation on Friday began in Jalpaiguri district, plagued by bird flu for the second time, with 23 teams of animal resource development having fanned out in the affected areas. ARD teams reached seven wards of Mainaguri block and three wards of Sadar block as all officials were asked to be on vigil, Zilla Parisad Sabhadipati Banmali Roy said. Samples collected from affected areas were sent to high security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal on March 11 and tested positive for the H5NI virus on Wednesday. The samples were taken after death of 112 chickens were reported recently in the affected areas. The deaths occurred among backyard poultry in Boalmari under Jalpaiguri Sadar sub-division, Roy said. Jalpaiguri became the third district to be declared bird flu hit for the second time after Malda and Murshidabad. Over a week ago, avian flu was reported from English Bazar in Malda and Raghunathganj and Jiaganj areas in Murshidabad district in the second phase. Avian flu deaths among poultry had been reported earlier from Falakata area in Jalpaiguri district in the first phase.