German zoo closes after bird flu kills emu

A German zoo has closed as a precaution after an emu died of bird flu in the latest case of H5N8 detected in the country.

A zoo in northern Germany has been temporarily closed after an emu died of bird flu.

Ueckermuende zoo director Katrin Toepke told the DPA news agency on Friday the emu had died of the H5N8 strain of the virus, which can easily spread among birds but is not known to infect humans.

As a precaution, the zoo near the Polish border was shut down as veterinary officials determine how to protect the other birds in the facility, including swans, storks and many varieties of ducks.

The H5N8 strain of bird flu has been found this year in wild birds in 12 of Germany's 16 states, and in poultry farms in four states.

It has also been detected in several other European countries, including Denmark, Austria and Switzerland.


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Published 25 November 2016 7:44pm
Source: AAP


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