Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 3 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /
Azerbaijan has imposed a one-month-long ban on bird hunting from Dec.1, Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry spokesman Irada Ibrahimova told Trend.
Recently, four bird flu cases (H1N1) were discovered in Turkey, one in China and one in Georgia. As a result, bird hunting has been temporarily banned in the country, Ibrahimova said.
"The possibility of the bird flu penetrating into Azerbaijan has increased as wild birds migrate from Southeast Asia to Azerbaijan and our country borders Georgia and Turkey," she said.
"The ministry suspended bird hunting licenses in the country's territory," she said. "To adopt a final decision in this situation, the ministry appealed to the state commission that deals with preventing the bird flu in Azerbaijan."
Given appeals from hunters, Azerbaijan declared an open bird hunt in the wetlands on Nov. 5.