GORAKHPUR, June 23 -- The reopening of Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Zoological Park (Gorakhpur Zoo) is likely to be delayed further, as samples from 13 more animals have been sent for bird flu testing. The samples were dispatched on Sunday to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly. Gorakhpur Zoo deputy director Dr Yogesh Pratap Singh confirmed that some animals were showing signs of illness, prompting the latest round of testing. He stated that the zoo would remain closed to visitors until all test reports returned negative. Earlier on Friday (June 21), a second round of testing involving 72 animal samples had returned negative results from NIHSAD, raising hopes of the zoo reopening. Both Bareilly and Bhopal laboratories had confirmed the absence of any infectious disease, indicating that the animals were healthy. The zoo was initially closed to the public on May 13 as a precautionary measure, following the detection of bird flu in a tigress that died on May 7. Zoo authorities said that strict biosafety protocols would continue to be enforced, and the final decision on reopening the zoo would be taken after the results of the latest tests were received. htc...