JURONG BIRD PARK EMPLOYS NOVEL METHOD TO TACKLE BIRD FLU

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Singapore's bird park turns chickens into flu police

05 Nov 2005 01:27:04 GMT

 

Source: Reuters

By Fayen Wong

 

SINGAPORE, Nov 5 (Reuters) - As Asian governments keep a lookout for new cases

of bird flu, Singapore is deploying some unlikely " flu police " at the world's

largest bird park: chickens.

 

Singapore's Jurong Bird Park has put 19 chickens, known as " sentinel chickens " ,

in all its aviaries to help detect the presence of any infectious disease.

 

" These chickens are bred without any immunity. So they will be the first ones to

fall ill if there is an outbreak of bird flu or other infectious diseases at the

park, " Wong Hon Mun, executive director of Jurong Bird Park, told Reuters.

 

He said the chickens are bred from birds that have never been vaccinated against

any disease and so act as a first line of defence against bird flu or any other

illness brought in by wild birds.

 

Since last year the park has started vaccinating all other birds and giving flu

jabs to its staff. It has also introduced foot baths and disinfecting floor mats

to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

 

Wong said the park has done scenario planning with the Agri-Food and Veterinary

Authority, and added that if any of its captive birds were found to have

contracted bird flu, the park would have to cull all the birds in the particular

aviary.

 

" They will have to be put down, whether it's the toucans or birds of paradise, "

Wong said. " It is a very tough decision. But the thinking is that it has to be

done because we are talking about a possible transmission to humans. "

 

The park has more than 9,000 birds of 600 species including such endangered ones

as the Toco Toucans, Caribbean Flamingos and Dalmatian Pelicans. Vets check the

birds daily.

 

The park -- the world's largest in terms of number of birds and second largest

in terms of land area after Germany's Vogelpark Walsrode -- would temporarily

shut down if there was an outbreak.

 

Despite growing fears about bird flu, Wong said visitor arrivals had not dipped.

 

" In fact, the number of visitors has increased by about 20 percent this year

compared to last year, " he said.

 

Although Singapore is currently free of bird flu, there are increasing concerns

that imported birds could carry the deadly virus onto its shores.

 

Britain said last month that a parrot that died in quarantine tested positive

for H5N1. The authorities believe the parrot was infected in Taiwan.

 

Wong said the park has stopped all bird imports and exports since March last

year and any new bird imports would have to fulfil government regulations.

 

The H5N1 strain of bird flu, transmitted through human contact with birds, has

killed 62 people in Asia and infected 122 since late 2003.

 

Experts fear that H5N1 will mutate to allow it to pass easily from person to

person. If it does so, it could cause a catastrophic pandemic, killing tens of

millions, because humans lack immunity to it.