Bird flu threatens endangered species
The gate to Uchi Zoo in Gwangju is closed, Tuesday, and a banner on it announces the zoo will be temporarily closed as a precaution against the spread of bird flu and will reopen when the virus is completely gone. / Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
The outbreak of avian flu is threatening hundreds of bird species native to Korea and endangered birds at major zoos.
Seoul Grand Park, which is the largest zoo in Korea, said Monday that it has culled eight mandarin ducks as a preemptive measure since it detected the H5N6 virus in five of them and in two dead storks Friday.
Mandarin ducks and storks are two of the 15 birds designated as part of Korea’s natural heritage living at the zoo, which also has 48 species of 407 endangered birds.
With the outbreak showing no signs of fading, the zoo is now concerned that the lethal virus may affect the rest of the special birds, including owls, white-naped cranes, white-tailed sea eagles and kestrels.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), which runs the park, said it is still trying to find out how the virus ended up in the zoo. Droppings from all 1,200 birds there are now under examination at the National Institute of Environmental Research.
“This is the first time we have detected the avian flu virus within the zoo since its opening,” said an SMG official. “The zoo will remain closed until it is certain that the virus is completely gone.”
The city government said it will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and the Cultural Heritage Administration to contain the virus while prioritizing endangered species in doing so.
Neither the zoo nor the SMG can kill these species without the approval of the government agencies.
Seoul Zoo is not the only zoo in the country closed over the outbreak. The Jeonju city government also said that it shut down Jeonju Zoo to protect its birds. Other zoos nationwide are considering following suit.
Meanwhile, the virus is spreading fast despite the government’s desperate efforts to contain it. More than 20 million chickens and ducks have already been slaughtered across the country since the first case was reported here Nov. 16.
Besides the H5N6 virus that has affected the country since November, a second strain of virus, H5N8, was found recently in the excrement of a wild bird. The virus first appeared here in 2014 and this is the first time two types of bird flu viruses have spread together.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has deployed its 45 infectious disease experts to regional governments to ensure proper disinfection work.
When asked about human infections, the KCDC said the possibility is very low. “No human-to-human infection cases have been reported,” Jung Ki-suk, chief of the organization, said. “We have also found that the H5N6 virus detected here does not have a genetic mutation.”