Metro warns riders about bringing birds

Shanghai's metro operator asked passengers Tuesday not to take live poultry or birds on the subway after a photo appeared online showing a rider carrying a cage of doves onboard a Line 6 train.

The photo stirred up residents' anxiety about the spread of the H7N9 bird flu virus as the city's government has implemented a seasonal ban on the live bird trade.

A microblog user Monday posted several photographs of the passengers carrying the doves. One of the photos showed a handful of birds huddled in a wire cage sitting on a subway train.

Another photo showed two people carrying the cage onto a train at Century Avenue Station.

Shanghai metro rules bar passengers from taking live birds and pets like cats and dogs on the subway, though there is an exception for guide dogs, said Lan Tian, a press officer with Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.

The local government has strengthened regulations over the live poultry and bird trade since the outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu virus. Since last June, live poultry can only be bought or sold at government-designated markets. The government has also suspended the live poultry trade in the city from January 31 to April 30, the news website eastday.com reported.

Some Internet users criticized metro staff for allowing passengers to take the doves on the train.

Lan told the Global Times that they must have brought the doves into the station when metro security wasn't looking. Lan advised passengers to immediately report anyone taking birds on the subway.