Lamma Forums :: View topic - A sick Kingfisher (it may upset some people)

<B>Backyard farms to be banned</b>

The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed.

Winnie Chong

Saturday, February 04, 2006

The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed.

Warning that bird flu in Hong Kong was "endemic," Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow made the announcement Friday, following last month's discovery of a dead chicken and two wild birds infected with the H5N1 virus in the New Territories.

The chicken had been smuggled from the mainland, and three members of a family that kept it in their backyard had been quarantined. They have since tested negative for the virus.

Under current public health regulations, only households or farms with more than 20 chickens or poultry have to be licensed.

Chow said that in a bid to plug loopholes and prevent the spread of avian flu, legislation to be presented within the next two weeks will ban the keeping of live poultry in homes, even for a short period of time.

He said the discovery of the dead chicken and birds suggested that bird flu is now endemic in Hong Kong, but that the risk of an outbreak in the territory is still relatively small.

A bid Thursday to round up all backyard chickens in the border town of Sha Tau Kok - where the dead chicken was found - failed as only 10 of 310 birds were surrendered by residents to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department officers.

Chow said banning backyard farms is necessary as these households do not have safety measures to prevent the poultry from coming into contact with migratory birds.

He said the ban will apply to chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys and quails, and offenders could be subject to fines ranging from HK$50,000 to HK$100,000.

Before the legislation comes into force, AFCD staff will patrol rural areas and ask those with backyard farms to voluntarily surrender their poultry.

Those who do not wish to do so will be allowed to vaccinate and keep their poultry until the bill becomes law.

Those who hand in their poultry will be compensated.

"The amount of compensation will not be big as we don't want to pay for chickens from an unknown source," Chow said.

Meanwhile, customs commissioner Timothy Tong said officers from his department had stepped up inspections at all border crossings to prevent smuggling of poultry.

The chairman of the Legislative Council's food safety panel, Democratic Party legislator Fred Li, said he agreed with the proposed legislation as live chickens were now a "time bomb" for the spread of the H5N1 virus.

Author:	HarryLi [ Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:00 am ]
Post subject:	A sick Kingfisher (it may upset some people)
Found it hanging around YSL yesterday. It looked quite sick and looked like covered with some oil. ${L_IMAGE}$

Author:	F-X [ Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:20 pm ]
Post subject:
Was it able to fly?

Author:	HarryLi [ Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:51 pm ]
Post subject:
No, it couldn't fly. It stayed in the same area today. Critical condition.

Author:	Insomniac [ Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:32 am ]
Post subject:
H5N1?

Author:	Lamma-Gung [ Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:51 am ]
Post subject:
Maybe! Place another phone call to Lammadonna right away! She's received several phone calls from people finding dead birds on their balcony or garden and immediately being spooked and afraid. Birds die for many reasons and out of 9,000 dead wild birds the govt. has tested so far they've only found one single case. But they found some infected chicken in HK yesterday and are closing down the bird sanctuary in Mai Po marshes today... Should we all be worried? Is Lamma one of the safest places to ride this scare out?

Lamma Forums http://lamma.com.hk/forum-OK/

A sick Kingfisher (it may upset some people) http://lamma.com.hk/forum-OK/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=2800	Page 1 of 1

Author:	zep [ Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:43 am ]
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If this bird seems to b e covered in oil and it is alive rather than lying on the ground, it looks more like it has met with some substances in the environment rather than disease. I wonder if it is possible to put a bit of food where the bird might reach it?

Author:	Alan [ Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:33 pm ]
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Lamma-Gung {L_WROTE}: Should we all be worried? Is Lamma one of the safest places to ride this scare out? With all the wild and domestic birds here? Anyway, happily my former neighbour's rooster is dead and eaten.

Author:	F-X [ Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:04 am ]
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I think people have more to worry about from their pets. My back yard is well treed, so it is popular with birds, as well as quite a few dogs and cats who treat it as a public toilet. The dogs like to check out the leavings of the previous visitors, getting their nose right into the soil, usually covering the whole area before they leave their own marker. One with a muzzle gets it right into the dirt as well. The cats spend a lot of time there stalking the birds, so they're walking through the droppings. I feel sorry for the families of those pets if it turns out any of the wild birds are carrying the virus since I understand it is mainly transferred through faeces.

Author:	Alan [ Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:01 pm ]
Post subject:
Interesting to see how this is enforced: HK Standard {L_WROTE}: <B>Backyard farms to be banned</b> The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed. Winnie Chong Saturday, February 04, 2006 The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed. Warning that bird flu in Hong Kong was "endemic," Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow made the announcement Friday, following last month's discovery of a dead chicken and two wild birds infected with the H5N1 virus in the New Territories. The chicken had been smuggled from the mainland, and three members of a family that kept it in their backyard had been quarantined. They have since tested negative for the virus. Under current public health regulations, only households or farms with more than 20 chickens or poultry have to be licensed. Chow said that in a bid to plug loopholes and prevent the spread of avian flu, legislation to be presented within the next two weeks will ban the keeping of live poultry in homes, even for a short period of time. He said the discovery of the dead chicken and birds suggested that bird flu is now endemic in Hong Kong, but that the risk of an outbreak in the territory is still relatively small. A bid Thursday to round up all backyard chickens in the border town of Sha Tau Kok - where the dead chicken was found - failed as only 10 of 310 birds were surrendered by residents to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department officers. Chow said banning backyard farms is necessary as these households do not have safety measures to prevent the poultry from coming into contact with migratory birds. He said the ban will apply to chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys and quails, and offenders could be subject to fines ranging from HK$50,000 to HK$100,000. Before the legislation comes into force, AFCD staff will patrol rural areas and ask those with backyard farms to voluntarily surrender their poultry. Those who do not wish to do so will be allowed to vaccinate and keep their poultry until the bill becomes law. Those who hand in their poultry will be compensated. "The amount of compensation will not be big as we don't want to pay for chickens from an unknown source," Chow said. Meanwhile, customs commissioner Timothy Tong said officers from his department had stepped up inspections at all border crossings to prevent smuggling of poultry. The chairman of the Legislative Council's food safety panel, Democratic Party legislator Fred Li, said he agreed with the proposed legislation as live chickens were now a "time bomb" for the spread of the H5N1 virus.

Author:	phil [ Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:53 am ]
Post subject:
I actually saw this poor bird feebly fluttering around just before the "bus stop" on the way to Yung Shue Long old village a week ago. I did think of picking it up & taking it to the vet but admit thoughts of H5N1 put me off although another friendly local phoned the ag & fish on his mobile, don`t know if anything came of that though. I didn`t realise how big kingfishers got or are Chinese ones different to the sort seen in England?

Author:	F-X [ Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:27 pm ]
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F-X {L_WROTE}: I think people have more to worry about from their pets. H5N1 confirmed in German cat as pets put on short leash Mar 03, 2006 Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany -- German health officials confirmed Thursday that a cat on Ruegen island died from bird flu's most pathogenic strain as EU veterinary experts urged pet owners to keep cats indoors and dogs on a leash in affected areas. The cat found on the Baltic island had been infected with the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu that can prove fatal to humans, the national veterinary laboratory said. It was the first case of an infected mammal in the European Union, but the disease killed domestic and wild cats, including tigers, in Asia in 2004. Hundreds of German cat owners have since left their pets at shelters, the German animal welfare society said. ...EU veterinary experts in Brussels have advised pet owners to keep cats indoors and dogs on leashes in areas hit by outbreaks of bird flu virus. "Contacts between domestic carnivores, particularly cats, and wild birds should be prevented," a committee of EU food chain and health experts said Wednesday. The head of Germany's national veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, told reporters that the virus could be passed from one cat to another but it was unknown "which viral load one could catch from a cat". http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php ... y_id=68166

Author:	Twitcher [ Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:32 pm ]
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I have checked with Kadoriee Farm and Botancial Gardens, according to their vet, this bird doesn't have the H5N1 symptoms, but does appear to have been in an oil spill

Author:	F-X [ Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:15 pm ]
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Actually, I assumed the H5N1 suggestion was a joke. Clearly the bird had been oiled. Poor thing.

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