Indonesians fight bird flu shooting wild doves

Indonesians fight bird flu shooting wild doves

Indonesians were shooting wild doves and other birds from trees and rooftops in an eastern city Thursday, as they tried to slow the rapid spread of the deadly H5N1 virus in the sprawling archipelago.

The bird flu virus has killed 19 people in Indonesia, all in the last nine months, and devastated poultry stocks. Many fear that the virus is being carried by wild birds that infect domestic poultry.

Government officials and local residents started shooting the doves with air rifles in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, after dozens of chickens were found to have died of bird flu there earlier this week, reports the AP.

I.L.