THE Department of Agriculture (DA)-Davao said it might forbid bird watching activities in the region during the bird migration period next month due to the risk brought by the Avian Influenza or bird flu outbreak in Pampanga this week.
DA-Davao Avian Influenza spokesperson Dr. Dannie Apelo, in an interview, said the department has to secure the welfare of the people in the region while the outbreak still persists.
"Davao Region is one of the places in the country where thousands of migrating birds pass through during September and these birds come from different places in the world. This means that if there is a bird flu outbreak in Pampanga, who knows what virus these migrating birds may carry," Apelo said.
The possibility of preventing the arrival of migrating birds in the region is seen absurd and Apelo said DA-Davao and other local bird organizations can only do precautionary measures upon their coming.
He added that DA-Davao will be testing blood samples from these migrating birds once they arrive in the region to assess their health status and ensure that they do not carry any bird flu virus.
Philippine Eagle Foundation, Apelo said, is already preparing for next month's bird migration and has already strengthened their measures in assuring that the birds inside the forest will not get infected with the bird flu virus.
He added that strong coordination is continuously being done by DA-Davao with other concerned agencies regarding bird migration preparations.