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  Today Online 7 Apr 06
More birds surrendered 48 birds handed over to the AVA between January and March
Tan Hui Leng huileng@newstoday.com.sg

MORE Singaporeans are surrendering their pet birds and chickens to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) as the global bird flu scare escalates.

Between January and March this year, 48 birds were surrendered, up from 29 birds in the same period last year. Last year, a total of 350 birds were surrendered to the AVA, most of them chickens.

Last year, Mr Koh Boon Chiong surrendered six pet chickens. His son, who resides in Australia, had called the AVA, requesting them to take away the chickens. "He told me then to surrender them because there was this contagious bird flu virus going around the world," the 77-year-old retired photographer told Today. "It was a real heartache for me because I've been rearing chickens for about four to five years and they have always been kept in clean cages." Mr Koh, who lives alone, still keeps two pet chickens for company.

This is in accordance with AVA guidelines, which stipulate that each household can keep no more than 10 chickens. The AVA advises owners of pet birds to keep their birds in cages and to wash their hands thoroughly with soap after handling them.

Meanwhile, the increased awareness of the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu has also resulted in more calls to the National Environment Agency (NEA) about dead birds. From 30 calls in January, the NEA has reported receiving 110 calls in February and 309 calls in March.

The NEA responds to calls by collecting the dead bird carcass and sending it to the AVA's laboratory for analysis. The agency also advises the public not to touch or handle dead birds. They should call the agency at 1800-CALLNEA for assistance to remove the carcasses.

As for dead pet birds, the AVA advises owners to wear rubber gloves when handling them. One should also use a plastic bag as an extra layer of protection over their gloves. The bag should be knotted up securely before disposal together with regular garbage. The birdcage should be disinfected thereafter.

The AVA also advises the public not to abandon their pet chickens or birds. Instead, they should be surrendered to the agency's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control where they will be put to sleep.

The centre's hotline is 1800-4761600. Visit www.flu.gov.sg for details.
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