Menglembu pigeons didn’t die of bird flu

Star: IPOH: The pigeons found dead in Menglembu did not die of the dreaded avian flu.
Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Hawari Hussein said the carcasses tested negative for the deadly H5N1 virus.
He said the pigeons appeared to have been poisoned but the department had yet to confirm so.
“However, our concern is that the birds did not die of the highly-pathogenic avian influenza,” he said yesterday.
Of late, dead pigeons found in Bidor, Sungai Petani and Menglembu created a stir among residents who were worried that the birds died of avian flu.
In the latest incident in Menglembu last Thursday, more than 40 dead pigeons were found, some on the rooftop of a house in Taman Gamelan.
It is learnt that the Veterinary Research Institute conducted tests on 38 of the dead birds from Menglembu.
Samples were also sent to the Chemistry Department to find out if the birds had been poisoned.

In PENANG, several dead pigeons found at the posh Sri York Condominium area have raised concerns among the residents.
Condominium maintenance officer Koay Keng Soon said six to seven pigeons were found dead at various spots in Block 33 yesterday.
“Residents are worried and we have contacted the state Veterinary Services Department to collect the bird carcasses for examination.
“We have not seen more than three dead birds at any one time in this area before,” said Koay.
The rest of the carcases had been thrown away by cleaners making their rounds before the management took two of them and handed them to the department.
When contacted, a department spokesman said they had just received a report on the matter and would carry out an investigation.