Chickens strolling on campus set off bird flu panic  

兩只母雞雨中在校園悠閑散步 學生擔心患禽流感

(Photo source: Sina.com.cn )

(ECNS) -- Chickens being kept at a university in Hunan province have sparked students' fear of being infected with bird flu, after more than 10 cases of H7N9 avian influenza were confirmed in the province, voc.com.cn reported on Tuesday.

On Monday morning, two hens were strolling in the rain on a main road on campus at Central South University of Forestry and Technology in Changsha. More chickens were found near residential buildings of the university.

The chickens are kept by people who live there.

"The chickens wandering around belong to my neighbor," said a woman surnamed Zhou, who added that she also keeps chickens but never lets them leave the cage, and her chickens are healthy.

A restaurant owner surnamed Chen, who also lives at the university, said, "Those chickens make us feel nervous, since more cases of H7N9 avian influenza have been reported in Hunan province."

An employee at a property management company said keeping chickens on campus was banned, and the company had posted prohibition notices in the region, which were ignored.