TUARAN: Sabah Veterinary Services Department has called on residents of Kampung Kaulan and its surrounding area here not to hide their livestock from the authorities.
This comes following the bird flu outbreak in the district.
The department director Harun Abas today noted that there have been cases of individuals hiding their geese to avoid them from being culled.
“During our ongoing monitoring to dispose livestock in and around the bird flu outbreak area, which is within a five-kilometre radius, we spotted geese being caged and hidden in the woods.
“Such situation should not have happened. The people should know that this is a serious outbreak. If the department issues an order to dispose all poultry, such instruction must be adhered to,” he said when contacted by NSTP.
On Aug 3, the state government ordered the department to declare Kampung Kaulan as a bird flu outbreak area after a chicken farm here tested positive for the avian flu virus.
To avoid the virus from spreading to nearby districts, Sabah Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Junz Wong said the Veterinary Services Department would conduct culling of all poultry within a kilometre radius from the affected farm.
On Tuesday, the department has culled 29,990 chickens from two farms.
Recently, the department’s deputy director Dr Peter Lee was reported to have said the department was focusing on culling all types of poultry including chickens, ducks, and geese after the culling process at the two farms is completed.