The culling operation in Kokrajhar district has been completed today, the Asom Animal Husbandry and Veterinary sources said. It will take, however, one or two days more to complete the task in Dhubri district due to adverse weather condition yesterday, sources added. It may be mentioned here that, with the outbreak of bird flu in the neighbouring States of West Bengal, the culling of birds had been started in two bordering districts in Asom as a precautionary measure since February 3 following the direction from the Centre. Sources said that altogether 44,774 chickens have been culled in Kokrajhar district till February 9, while 26,432 have been culled in Dhubri district till February 8. Sources further said that the samples randomly collected from the Asom districts adjoining the inter-State and international border have been sent to the Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal who declared the absence of the avian flu virus in the State. The concerned authority is expected to declare Asom as a bird flu-free State within a day or two, added the sources. Meanwhile, on the uproar over the media report of the death of about 500 birds in several villages in Karimganj district, the Animal Husbandry Department sources here said: "We have contacted the district authorities concerned in this regard and the latter has confirmed that there was no such case of birds' death. Few chickens might be found dead due to seasonal diseases.'