Avian flu cull at Paignton Zoo after birds evade capture

A number of birds in a Devon zoo under bird flu restrictions are to be culled because they have not been caught.

Paignton Zoo said it had been cooperating with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) since it had positive test results in two birds.

The zoo said a "small number of birds" had "evaded capture" and "must be removed by other means".

It said this would mean complying with requirements set out by the APHA "that these birds be humanely culled".

Zoo bosses said they had been cooperating with the APHA and the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) to implement "necessary biosecurity and quarantine measures".

It said the majority of birds causing concerns about the possible spread of the virus, in its main lake and its free-ranging peafowl, had been rounded up and were in quarantine.

The zoo said: "Despite the phenomenal efforts by our teams, a small number of birds have so far evaded capture and we are now in the very difficult position of accepting that these individuals must be removed by other means.

"We will therefore be complying with APHA's requirement that these birds be humanely culled by a specialist APHA team."

It added that "we are doing everything we can to protect our animals, many of which are endangered", in the "heart-breaking situation".

The zoo added it was "unlikely" to be open to visitors before the weekend.

All of Devon and Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and parts of Somerset, are currently under avian flu restrictions.

The H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus is highly contagious among birds, and spread by close contact with an infected bird, whether it is dead or alive.

Defra said the UK Health Security Agency advised "the risk to public health from the virus is very low".

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].