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Migratory birds and bird flu - the Hong Kong perspective

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Subject: Migratory birds and bird flu - the Hong Kong perspective
From: Koren Mitchell <>
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 08:21:52 +0800
This message was apparently filtered out the first time I tried to send it so I am resending.

I thought you all might be interested in some of the interesting things that the government is doing here in Hong Kong with respect to bird flu.

They haven't closed the "wet markets" (where they sell live chickens).

They haven't closed the Bird Market, where they sell all types of caged birds, including many caught from the wild in China.

They have banned import of chickens, ducks, etc and cage birds from China and other countries with bird flu (about the only sensible thing they have done).

They have also closed all access to Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong's RAMSAR-listed wetland site. (Bad timing - they closed it 1 day before the HK Bird Watching Society's Bird Race last weekend!)

They are also recommending that people not go birdwatching!

Unfortunately, since I don't speak Cantonese, I don't have access to the local press, but there must be an enormous amount of rubbish being published if anyone thinks that you can get bird flu by walking through a park looking at birds through binoculars!

I also thought people might be interested in the message below, which comes from someone at BirdLife International.




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