Egypt closes zoos, bird flu outbreaks in the country are cause
Egyptian Authorities are keeping the Cairo zoo closed in what they say is an effort to disinfect the zoo and it’s animals from the bird flu virus.
The health ministry ordered the closure of the zoo on February 19 after several birds died from the bird flu.
Officials found 82 dead birds by the zoo’s artificial lake, infected with the avian flu, six of them duck, turkey and Chinese geese carried the H5N1 strain.
Another 563 more that were also in the lake were culled (slaughtered and disposed of ) and the water from the lake was drained.
Nasser Kamel, spokesman for the government’s anti bird flu campaign said, 10 to 15 million birds in infected areas of the country have also been exterminated, a serious blow to Egypt’s 40,000 chicken farms.
The zoo’s director Talal Sidrak said: “We have decided to close all eight zoos in the country.” Egypt and the Ukraine are the only countries in the world to have closed all their zoos.