Ranga and Billa are dead. It was not due to H5N1 (avian influenza), but Covid-19 which indirectly led to their killings.

The 15-year-old roosters — Ranga and Billa — the oldest roosters of Assam in Tinsukia district, were part of the meal in the last three days for their owners and their neighbours in Beesakopie village as the daily wagers there face livelihood problem due to coronavirus threat in Assam.

“We all in Birsa Munda basti of this village are daily-wage earners who can hardly save anything for future. People here are facing hardship as most of us have no work since last week. So we are depending on barter system to survive,” Chunnu Tanti, an unskilled tea tribe worker who owned Ranga, told this correspondent.

Hundreds of villagers in Assam are showing exemplary cooperative spirit during disruption of normal life due to fear of coronavirus infections for the last few days in the state.

They are exchanging paddy, vegetables, fruits, domestic animals, medicinal plants and essential commodities and whatever little they have to survive as most of the institutions — both government and private — have been shut down. Things are likely to worsen in the days ahead.

Chunnu added: “Billa too belonged to me. I gifted it to my friend and neighbour David Tanti when it was only three-month-old. Both the roosters were very active and participated in cockfights many a time. They often used to stay together. They would wake up the villagers at dawn with their raucous cock-a-doodle-doo. It is difficult to believe that they have been killed. Had the coronavirus not spread across the globe, they could have been saved.”

The maximum lifespan of an Indian rooster is eight to 15 years. Their maximum weight is 2kg to 3kg.

Although not a single coronavirus positive case has been detected so far, the Assam government has been adopting all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the state is observing lockdown till March 31.

All fish and meat shops remained shut for the past several days.

Experts say washing hands, using masks and maintaining distance from people can help break the chain of coronavirus.

Senior cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government would come up soon with a solution to meet the economic impact of the lockdown in the state on the people. He hinted that the government may formally declare some economic assistance, including free ration supply.