Bird flu scare for Hong Kong’s Ocean Park
HONG KONG – One of Hong Kong’s major tourist attractions, Ocean Park, has closed its aviary for three weeks from last Thursday after a heron there tested positive for bird flu.
A preliminary test on the carcass of a black-crowned heron showed it had the H5 virus and further tests were being conducted, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in a statement.
The move means the aviary will be closed throughout Lunar New Year, a busy period at the park.” We will monitor the situation closely and review the closure period as necessary,” a spokesman said.
The heron is a common visitor to Hong Kong in the winter period.
New figures show that Hong Kong visitor arrivals in 2007 reached a record high of 28,169,293, an increase of 11.6 percent on the 25.25 million arrivals welcomed in 2006.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said all long and short-haul market regions showed positive gains in 2007.
Arrivals from Mainland China passed the 15 million mark for the first time to reach 15,485,789, 13.9 percent more than in 2006 and 55 percent of the 2007 total, while non-Mainland arrivals also registered notable gain of 8.8 percent at 12,683,504.
Short-haul markets, South & Southeast Asia, enjoyed solid gain of 8.6 percent to become Hong Kong’s second largest source market region.
Ian Jarrett
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