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| Tourists to Jeju Island walk wearing masks at Jeju International Airport, Thursday, amid fears of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. / Yonhap |
By Kim Hyo-jin
Camels in zoos across the nation have been quarantined as fears of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) continue to spread throughout the country.
Of 44 camels in Korea, 20 at six local zoos have been isolated from visitors since Tuesday, zoo officials said.
"The act was solely to alleviate public concern," a Seoul National Park official said Friday. "Born and raised in Korea, it is unlikely that they are involved in the spread of MERS."
The official said the park had asked health authorities to test their camels for the virus. But it was a mere formality, he added.
The act came as the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommended the public to stay away from camels as a precaution against MERS transmission earlier this week.
Camels are believed to be carriers of MERS. But those in Korea are not from countries in the Middle East where the virus first emerged in 2012.
All camels in Korea were born and raised here or came from Australia, according to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
"Quarantine of camels is meaningless from a medical aspect," Professor Song Dae-sub of Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology was quoted as saying.
People can still have contact with the other 24 camels, owned by a horse-riding farm on Jeju Island. There is no need for concern as they were all imported from Australia, the owner said.
