RIYADH, 6 December 2005 — As a preventive measure against the outbreak of bird flu, the Kingdom has imposed a strict ban on hunting migratory birds that come into the country during winter.
“Since the ban has been introduced in the national interest, violators will be punished,” Dr. Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada, secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), told Arab News.
Hunting permits are issued at the offices of the Ministry of Interior in the respective towns, he said, adding that no permits will be issued during the current season. NCWCD rangers and Interior Ministry officials will monitor poaching.
Birds such as dove, curlew and houbara bustard come to the Kingdom to spend the winter here, while other birds use Saudi Arabia as a transit point en route to Africa.
The government has formed a national committee under the Ministry of Agriculture to keep the avian flu out of the Kingdom. Import of all kinds of birds including falcon, canary and lovebirds is banned by a royal decree last month.
Dr. Abu Zinada said tests were carried out in five locations to ensure that the country is flu-free. “Tests by a team of scientists and bird specialists on samples taken from these sites were negative for bird flu,” he said. The tests were done on birds found in Al-Hair, Al-Asfar Lake, Jubail Marine Protected Area, Dawmat Al-Jandal in Jouf and Wadi Al-Jizan.
The Ministry of Health conducted an awareness campaign against the bird flu in Zulfi on Sunday. “The idea of the program is to inform farm workers who are dealing with birds on the need to take necessary precautions against the disease,” a health official said, adding that any abnormal behavior of captive birds should be brought to the notice of veterinarians.
A large number of expatriates work in some 500 poultry farms in the Kingdom.
“People need not panic over the disease, it rarely spreads from bird to humans,” Dr. Fayssal Farahat, consultant to the Ministry of Health, said, pointing out that the ministry has taken the right steps to keep the disease under control.
He said birds grown in farms could be monitored effectively. “However, migratory birds are not within control. The national committee is keeping tabs them,” Dr. Farahat pointed out.
