“The Toronto Zoo is committed to the health and safety of the animals we care for,” the zoo said in a statement to CTV News Toronto. “We are taking precautionary measures to protect our birds from avian influenza that has been confirmed in a wild bird in southern Ontario. “By restricting access to the cages only to Zoo staff, we protect them from any contamination that may come from outside the Zoo.” On Monday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected at a poultry farm in southern Ontario. The agency says the farm is in strict quarantine and the CFIA is introducing movement controls and recommending higher biosecurity on nearby farms. There have been cases of commercial and non-commercial farms in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador in recent months. Last week, the agency confirmed bird flu in a wild red-tailed hawk in the Waterloo area of Aud. The Ontario Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says bird flu is not a threat to food safety when handled properly and cooked. He also says that bird flu is not a major public health concern for healthy people who do not come into regular contact with infected birds. With files from the Canadian Press.
