A Sulfur Cockatoo, a crocodile, a wild boar, and a kangaroo mouse walk into a bar....
Posted on Friday, July 13, 2007 at 03:43PM
by
Scott McPherson
in influenza and infectious diseases
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Scott McPherson
in influenza and infectious diseases
|
Post a Comment
One bright spot in a sea of failed national attempts at H5N1 prevention has been the Republic of the Philippines. Besides the 2005 Meningococcal septicemia/bird flu scare and a 2005 small low-path H5N1 outbreak, the island nation has worked itself to be (so far) bird flu-free.
So I have probably just jinxed them! Anyway, their vigilance has paid off again, as the following news story attests:
Government agents in Davao City arrested Sunday an Indonesian and two Filipinos Sunday for smuggling into the country exotic birds from Indonesia, a bird flu "hotspot" in Southeast Asia.Sun.Star Davao reported Tuesday that the confiscated animals were exterminated Monday to prevent the possible spread of avian influenza.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), whose agents made the arrest and seizure, said the extermination was done in its regional office in Davao City.
There are already 101 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans in Indonesia, 80 of which have been fatal.
The Philippines, meanwhile, has so far maintained its bird flu-free status in the region.
Confiscated from the suspects were a Bird of Paradise, three Rainbow Lories, a Black Palm, a Sulfur Cockatoo, two Gaski Lories, a Black Cut Lory, a Black Lory, a crocodile, a wild boar, and a kangaroo mouse.
The NBI identified the suspected smugglers as Indonesian national Randy Mandumi Makaginggi; Mike Antucilla, 36, a resident of Davao City; and Renante Toledo a.k.a. Nante, a resident of Lasang, Davao City. They were arrested at noon Sunday.
Antucilla, the primary suspect, travels to Indonesia at least once a month to get stocks and was using the Indonesian national as interpreter and as his accomplice.
Antucilla and Toledo are now detained at the NBI and face charges for violating the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. Makaginggi was brought to the Bureau of Immigration to face appropriate charges.
"This is a month-long surveillance and product din of intelligence reports from the agents of the bureau," said Exzel Hernandez of the NBI.
Hernandez said the suspects were said to be smuggling various contraband like firearms, ammunition, shabu while using the birds as cover for the smuggled items.
He said the suspects would also smuggle in snakes on a "per order" basis.
The NBI said it is verifying reports that the same gang was also involved in human smuggling.
Hernandez said the birds and other creatures were turned over to Department of Agriculture (DA) instead of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).
Under the setup of the National Avian Flu Task Force, the DA's Bureau of Animal Industry is the lead agency for bird flu for as long as there is still no human infection reported.
Only two weeks ago, another case of bird flu infection on a three-year-old girl was confirmed in Indonesia. She has since recovered.
Outbreaks of the virus both in animals and humans continue to be confirmed in Indonesia, the latest of which was just last month. - GMANews.TV
PHOTO CAPTION/CREDIT: An agent of the National Bureau of Investigation looks at exotic birds seized in a raid in Davao province in southern Philippines prior to being culled Monday July 9, 2007. More than 100 exotic wildlife, allegedly illegally imported from Indonesia were seized in the raid but authorities had to cull all of them in the country's continuing campaign against bird flu. The Philippines remains a bird-flu-free country in Asia. (AP Photo)
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