Berlin Zoo closes door to visitors over bird flu case

The Berlin Zoo shut its doors to visitors Friday after one of its aquatic birds tested positive for avian flu, the facility said.

A routine check on a hamerkop — a medium-sized wading bird — that had died last week found that it tested positive for the disease.

The zoo will remain closed for the time being as a "precautionary" measure, the zoo said. In the meantime, caretakers are working to quarantine and separate the remaining bird populations.

"The primary goal is to prevent the spread of avian flu," Berlin's climate ministry said.

Zoos in other German cities, including Greifswald, Karlsruhe, Rostock and Heidelberg, have also recently been hit with cases of avian flu.