Vets converge on city zoo to discuss bird flu

Published on Saturday 28 April 2007 12:22

A TEAM of vets from zoos and wildlife attractions around the world will be discussing how to deal with the threat of bird flu when they meet at Edinburgh Zoo next month.

More than 300 vets are expected at the zoo for the 43rd Annual Symposium on Diseases of Zoo and Wild Animals.

High on their agenda will be the continued threat avian influenza poses to animal parks and zoos, with European vets hoping to learn all they can from Asian vets who have dealt with the virus first hand.

Gidona Goodman, who works at the Royal Dick Veterinary School's exotic animals service and is one of the head vets for the zoo, said bird flu would be the main topic of discussion.

She said: "Obviously with the scare we had close by recently this is a big concern for us and, like everyone else, we will be looking to discover what other zoos are doing.

"One of the big problems is that the recommended advice is to keep wild birds indoors, but with animals such as penguins we cannot do that."

The symposium will take place from May 16 to 20.