Preliminary tests on three birds indicate they have the H5 flu strain, authorities announced yesterday.
The birds include a white-backed munia found in Queen's Road East on Sunday, the first time the species has been found on Hong Kong Island, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said. The two others were a large-billed crow picked up in Magnolia Road, Yau Yat Chuen, Kowloon Tong, on Saturday and a munia found in Repulse Bay Road on Sunday.
Hong Kong has so far confirmed H5N1 in 10 birds, including two chickens and several native species. The return of H5N1 last month after an absence of 21/2 years has prompted the government to ban the backyard raising of chickens, ducks, geese, quail and pigeons. Since the ban took effect on February 13, patrol teams have inspected 75,000 households. Fifty-six of these were found to have been keeping poultry illegally, and 233 chickens and 61 other birds have been seized and killed.
Kwok Ka-ki, legislator for the medical sector said provision of birdproof nets for the Yuen Po bird garden in Mongkok needed to be speeded up.
The Heung Yee Kuk's executive committee met yesterday to discuss how it would proceed with a judicial review on the backyard ban, which it says contravenes the Basic Law.
But the action taken by the rural group would depend on the government response at Friday's meeting of the Legislative Council bills sub-committee meeting, a source said.
