GORAKHPUR, May 24 -- Two leopard cubs, a cockatiel (a medium-sized parrot) and three crows tested positive for the bird flu from among the samples sent by Gorakhpur zoo earlier this week, taking total number of such zoo animals to nine. Till now, five animals, including a tiger and a lion, have died of bird flu in Uttar Pradesh and all three zoos in the state located in Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Kanpur besides Etawah Lion Safari have been closed till May 27. Bird flu was confirmed through a report from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, officials at Gorakhpur zoo said on Friday. Zoo director and district forest officer Vikas Yadav said the infected animals were identified through samples. "The positive cases include two leopard cubs rescued from Siddharthnagar and recently relocated to Gorakhpur zoo, an exotic Australian cockatiel, and three crows found within the zoo premises," he said. Yadav further said samples of 35 birds and 5 crows were initially sent to NIHSAD for testing. The confirmation of five new positive cases has escalated concerns about the potential spread of the virus. As a result, the zoo is intensifying its preventive measures and considering an extension of the current closure for visitors beyond the previously announced dates of May 13 to May 27. From Kanpur zoo where a lion and peacock have died of bird flu, reports of a total 10 samples are still awaited. The outbreak of the H5 strain of avian influenza was first confirmed on May 13, following the death of Tigress Shakti on May 7. This initial detection led to the immediate closure of the zoo from May 14 to May 20....