KUCHING: The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has assured the public and tourists that it is safe to visit or hang out along the Kuching Waterfront, including the area near the Floating Mosque, where dozens of pigeons were found dead recently.
After conducting tests on 41 samples of the dead pigeons, DVS director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud confirmed that there were no significant infectious pathological findings.
He said the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) had collected the samples of the birds and submitted them to the Sarawak Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (SVDL).
The birds were found to be in good body condition, with multiple bruising on their skin and yellowish, watery discharge from their mouths and nasal cavities.
“The carcasses were distended, and their gizzards contained hard foreign feed consisting of undigested rice, peanuts and grass,” Dr Adrian told New Sarawak Tribune on Thursday (Aug 3).
He mentioned that “the possible cause of the acute deaths could be respiratory, neurological or circulatory failure due to toxicity or poisoning.”
As for the cut surface, he said there were severe haemorrhages with an increase in the thickness of the corpus mucosa up to the intestinal mucosa.
“In summary, no significant infectious pathological findings from all samples (of the pigeons).”
To further investigate, the pool organs have been submitted for toxicology testing by the Department of Chemistry Malaysia, and routine bacterial culture and virology testing for avian influenza (AI), Newcastle disease (ND), and White Spot Disease (WSD) will be conducted at the SVDL.
The SFC confirmed that the affected birds were domesticated pigeons, not listed as protected species under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998.
