Denpasar. Quarantine officials in Bali have culled hundreds of chickens infected with bird flu that were smuggled onto the island from East Java, an official said on Tuesday. Wahyu Savitri, the executive head of the Gilimanuk quarantine office, said the chickens were discovered hiding in the baggage hold of an inter-province bus that had departed from East Java.
Rapid tests conducted on some of the birds showed that they carried the H5N1 virus that causes avian influenza.
“Unfortunately, the owner of the birds was not arrested because he did not travel onboard the bus,” Wahyu said.
He said the smuggling of chickens into Bali was rife because the poultry could fetch better prices on the island.
“Just this year, there have already been three smuggling attempts foiled,” Wahyu said, without providing details.
The chickens found on the bus, he continued, were believed to have been intended for sale at markets in Denpasar, the provincial capital.
Bird flu has so far been detected nine districts and municipalities in Bali. Read More
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