Bird flu scare shuts down popular songbird garden in Hong Kong for 21 days
Cleansing operation launched after hill mynah sample from a shop tested positive for the H5 virus, but store owners are still selling feed over fences set up to isolate the area
A bird flu scare in Hong Kong has silenced the repertoire of caged tunes enthusiasts are accustomed to hearing at the popular Yuen Po Street Bird Garden in Mong Kok, as authorities on Friday closed down the area for 21 days and declared it an infection risk.
A cleansing operation is under way, after a swab sample from a hill mynah sold at a pet shop was found to contain the H5 virus, a strain of bird flu that can be transmitted to humans.
The sample was collected on April 7 for laboratory tests under a routine surveillance programme by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, a spokesman said.
Store operators and workers are being medically monitored by the Centre for Health Protection, but they are still allowed to move freely in and out of the area.
All birds from the affected shop were sent to an animal management centre in Sheung Shui for culling, the spokesman added. “Pet bird shops in the bird garden are being closely monitored. So far nothing abnormal has been detected,” he said.