St. Petersburg Zoo Bird Flu Speculation Laid to Rest
It has been determined that the two geese that died in the St. Petersburg Zoo last month did not have bird flu as had been reported. The birds were tested for avian influenza and the results were negative.
Local media in the St. Petersburg area had been speculating that the two geese and three others at the zoo had been infected with an unknown type of the bird flu virus, but the reports have not been conformed by official sources. A spokesman for the zoo has announced that one of the geese died of old age and the other had an infection that was not related to Avian influenza.
St. Petersburg’s Zoo is one of the oldest in Russia and is a popular destination for families and Russian women and men on dates. The zoo was closed on Monday and Tuesday and reopened on Wednesday, prompting speculation that the closure had something to do with the death of the geese.
Tatyana Solomatina, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the facility was closed for a dispensary check, which is done every year. Some local media outlets claimed the closure was due to an emergency inspection and bird flu vaccinations.
The zoo and St. Petersburg Veterinary Board went to city hall to discuss this situation last week and clear up any rumors. The birds at the zoo were vaccinated twice this year against bird flu and the zoo has been running a special prevention program since the beginning of 2006 to protect the residents of the zoo against the disease.
