Pets at Home has issued a stark warning regarding its stores following a bird flu outbreak in the UK.
Bird flu has been found at scores of poultry farms and commercial premises across the UK in the past year, while the disease has also ripped through breeding colonies of seabirds, killing thousands in some sites.
The Environment Department (Defra) and Welsh Government have set out new guidance to land managers, the public and conservation groups to curb the impact of bird flu in wild birds, while protecting health and the countryside.
READ MORE: Warning issued to anyone who rents a home in the UK
The current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which began in October last year, is being described by officials as "unprecedented in its scale and the breadth of species affected". It is the longest and largest such outbreak on record in the UK, continuing beyond the normal winter period for the disease and hitting wild birds and breeding colonies of seabirds not normally affected.
Pets at Home is now displaying signs in its stores, urging people to not bring in any wild birds. The signs read: "Bird flu outbreak devastates UK seabird colonies.
"Please don't bring in wild birds. Call Defra Rural Services Helpline on 08000 200 301."
Guidance on the pet supply retailer's website says anyone with concerns about their pet birds should speak to a vet as soon as possible. It also lists the following symptoms of avian flu:
- Unexplained deaths or really ill birds
- Swelling around the head
- Discolouration on the head and neck
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty breathing
- Diarrhoea
- Not as many eggs
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