A spokesman for the Avian Influenza Detection Society (AIDS) has confirmed to Hardcasual that several dozen chickens in the kingdom of Hyrule have tested positive for the deadly bird flu virus.

The spokesman claimed that “Unfortunately, without extended contact with an infected bird, the chance of infection spreading to humans and/or weird-Elf-like-humanoids is slim.” He went on to say that only those who had recently ingested an infected bird or had gotten to know one “in a biblical sense” were at any risk.

When asked what this latest re-emergence of the disease meant for the rest of Hyrule’s poultry, the seemingly elated spokesman cheerily replied in a sing-song voice “Oh, they’re all fucked. They’ll all be slaughtered as a precautionary measure and sold off to local fast food joints.” He added, “Obviously the folks working with the AIDS are delighted to discover the re-emergence of this deadly disease and to have our profile raised once more. After all the good press that our colleagues on the Swine Herd Influenza Team (SHIT) have been getting recently it’s good to be back on the map.”

Not everyone will view this outbreak in the same positive light as this slightly off-kilter spokesman however. Likely to be hit particularly hard are the Hyrule Environmental Protection Commission (HEPC) and the Hyrule Entertainment Promotion Agency (HEPA) who just last year had to deal with the closure of Lon Lon Ranch after Foot and Mouth Disease ravaged the cattle there.

Many local residents were outraged when a lone exterminator, on what was described by one witness as a ”My Little Pony knock-off”, was hired to carry out the enforced culling of several hundred bovine using bow & arrows, a boomerang, and bombs. His efforts so far to stymie the chicken population, though, have so far started strong, then caught the retribution of hundreds of angry, flying birds.

It was an operation that cost around 999 rupees and emptied the coffers of the Hyrule Environmental Protection Commission, though it is believed that they quickly recouped this by cutting large areas of grass in Hyrule field and uncovering more rupees than they could fit into their oddly small wallets.

Hardcasual contacted Hyrule’s royal family for comment on the outbreak of avian flu. Unfortunately, they were otherwise engaged with mounting a search party for Princess Zelda, who has apparently gone missing again. Rumors that the Princess may be experiencing Stockholm syndrome are as yet unconfirmed.

As we were packing up to leave, we asked Avian Influenza Detection Society spokesman, off the record, whether he thought that Hyrule might be unlucky enough to also be struck by Swine flu in the future. He thought for a moment and then replied “No, I don’t think we’ll see swine flu reach Hyrule. I don’t think they keep pigs around these parts, perhaps the whole of Hyrule is Jewish or Muslim or something…”

(with additional reporting by Stace Harman)