With health experts warning that bird flu could hit the United States sometime within the next 6 to 12 months, zoo officials are making plans to protect their valuable bird collections from the deadly disease.
Bob Jenkins, director of animal care at the San Francisco Zoo, is keeping a close eye on news reports about the H5N1 strain of the virus, which he fears may hit California sooner rather than later.
The zoo houses 378 birds from 75 species, including exotic chickens and rare raptors.
"We have a very broad collection, so if the avian flu showed up here, it could decimate a significant portion of the live animals we have on view for the public," he said.
Of particular concern is the facility's bald eagle breeding program, in which chickens sit on eagle eggs to keep them warm.
"We'd probably be walking around in moon suits to make sure that the avian flu doesn't arrive there, because that's a very important program," Jenkins said, referring to the space-suit-like bio-containment uniforms frequently worn by officials handling diseased animals.
In ten years, he said, almost 90 bald eagle chicks have been raised in this program and released into the wild.
Rapid Response
While U.S. zoos rush to put protective plans into place, foreign facilities have already experienced problems.
In late February the Cairo Zoo in Egypt shut down for weeks after several birds at the facility died of bird flu.
The Tower of London's famous ravens have been moved indoors to protect them from the possible arrival of bird flu in Great Britain.
And infected birds at an Indonesian zoo forced a temporary closure last September after several employees and visitors were hospitalized with signs of influenza.
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