Vienna zoo puts down its pelicans because of bird flu

Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo has euthanised its flock of 20 Dalmatian pelicans after examinations showed them infected with bird flu.

A zoo statement says the birds were put down today, a day after the first one was found with the disease.

The zoo says the pelicans were infected with the H5N8 strain that is harmless to humans but spreads rapidly among birds. It has closed down facilities used by the pelicans to contain the virus.

Bird flu outbreaks in Europe, the United States and Asia have led poultry farmers to destroy tens of thousands of chickens and other livestock birds.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)