Migratory birds may be the cause

Star: IPOH: The two areas where birds tested positive for the H5N1 virus were a haven for migratory birds.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the Ecopark of Bukit Merah Laketown Resort near Taiping was renowned for migratory birds, while Kampung Changkat Tualang in Kota Baru near Gopeng was near a bird sanctuary.
“The infection could be from migratory birds,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
“As such, I have instructed that all bird sanctuaries, such as Kuala Gula, Teja and Kampung Gajah, be monitored closely.”
Tajol Rosli said 38,749 birds located within a 1km radius of the affected areas would be culled to prevent the virus from spreading.
“We sympathise with the farmers and the resort but we have to cull the birds, chickens and ducks so that the virus does not spread to commercial farms,” he added.
Tajol Rosli said the state had the biggest chicken and duck industry in the country, with poultry exported to Singapore.
“If we are quick in culling the birds located within the 1km radius, it will be faster for those areas to be declared bird flu-free,” he said.
“It is not a problem for people to continue visiting the Ecopark if the birds have been culled.”
He said that 500 kampung (free range) chickens at Kampung Changkat Tualang and chickens and ducks at a poultry farm nearby would also be culled.
“The farm has 8,000 day-old chicks, 20,000 day-old ducks and 10,000 ducks that were 50 days old,” he said.
At the Ecopark a total of 249 birds from 30 different species will be culled.
“The birds, some of which were trained by the resort staff, are on an island,” he said.