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Koen

2007/06/10

Bird Flu Watch: Fighting cocks under suspicion

SUNGAI BULOH: There is suspicion that fighting cockerels brought in from neighbouring countries could have caused the recent cases of bird flu.

This is because Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir, the village where 67 avian flu-infected chickens were found dead, is a transit point for fighting cockerels.

Villagers said the birds were being sold or rented out for cock-fighting competitions organised by Indonesian and Cambodians with permanent resident status staying in the area.

Village Security and Development Committee chairman Safiee Lisut said more than 600 fighting cocks have been culled by the Veterinary Services Department.

He said there were still some fighting cocks in the village and added that the authorities were looking for them.

“The fighting cocks fetch a good price, up to RM150 per bird,” he added.

Safiee said some 300 Indonesians and 200 Cambodians were living in his village and that there were more in Kampung Kubu Gajah, Kampung Paya Jaras Dalam, Kampung Paya Jaras Tengah and Kampung Paya Jaras Hulu.

The department?s director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin did not discount the possibility that the virus could have spread from fighting cocks brought in from other countries.

“We do not have conclusive evidence yet as investigations are going on,” he said, adding that the results would be disclosed next week.

Bernama said the government could be asked to ban the import and rearing of fighting cocks to help prevent the spread of avian influenza or bird flu.

The news agency quoted Dr Abd Aziz as saying that the department would push for a cabinet directive to ban fighting cocks if it found evidence that the bird flu cases in Paya Jaras originated from these birds.

As of yesterday morning, another 643 poultry were destroyed by the department.

This brings the total number of culled birds to 3,830.

In August 2004, 18,000 chickens were culled in Kelantan after a bird flu outbreak. The H5N1 virus was traced to a fighting cock brought in from Thailand.

Bird flu cases that occurred in February 2006 in Setapak, near here, and in several villages in Perak and Penang were also said to have been caused by fighting cocks brought into the country by foreign workers.

A total of 58,457 fowl were culled and 8,437 eggs were destroyed that year.