South Korea to kill dogs, pigs to stem bird flu

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
South Korean officials were planning Tuesday to kill hundreds of dogs and pigs to try preventing the spread of bird flu after an outbreak among chickens, but experts question the merits of killing other animals to stem the disease. A poultry slaughter began Sunday, a day after the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was discovered at a farm in Iksan, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Seoul. The killing of 677 dogs and 300 pigs was scheduled Tuesday, but a lack of available workers could mean a delay, a city official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to media. About 236,000 chickens are also planned for slaughter and 6 million eggs will be destroyed, the Agriculture Ministry has said.