RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced on Monday that no cases of H5N8 avian flu had been recorded in Saudi Arabia in the previous 24 hours. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry said 13,553 samples had been collected from the Saudi regions since the beginning of the spread of the disease. The results revealed that 177 of these samples tested positive. As many as 21,564 birds were culled in the previous 24 hours. The ministry received two notifications and seven enquiries in the previous 24 hours, the ministry statement added. According to an Arab News report published in January, the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA) enforced a ban on the hunting of migratory birds to help prevent avian influenza. The migratory birds include houbara bustards, passerines, flamingos, pelicans, cranes and turtle doves. They temporarily stay, mainly in Al-Hair in Riyadh, Al-Asfar Lake, Jubail Marine Protected Area, Domat Al-Jandal in Al-Jouf, Farasan Islands and Wadi Aljizan. They will leave at the start of spring. AN