NEWS: Pigeons from Canada had bird flu antibodies

news.yahoo.com
Australian authorities said Friday they are banning import of birds from Canada after three pigeons tested positive for bird flu antibodies.

The birds were in a consignment of 102 pigeons that arrived in Australia on Sept. 3. They tested positive while being held in quarantine in the southern city Melbourne, Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

He said the birds were not carrying bird flu, only the antibodies, indicating they had at some time been exposed.

"That could at some stage have developed into something else in the future," he said.

He did not say which strain of bird flu antibodies they were carrying but noted they were found with the antibodies, despite being certified disease-free by Canadian authorities.

None of the imported birds was allowed out of quarantine and the three found with bird flu antibodies were destroyed.

"Thankfully, Australia's quarantine system worked as it's meant to, that we didn't take the certification on face value even though it is coming from an advanced country," McGauran said.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.