Baghdad's zoo said on Sunday it eliminated three boars because of fears of contagious A/H1N1 flu.

"The three wild boars in the Zawraa Zoo have been killed according to recommendations from a special committee formed by the cabinet," veterinarian and head of the zoo Adel Salman told Xinhua.

"The animals were killed according to veterinary practices, they were anesthetized before the death and then buried," Salman added.

Salman said the move was a precautionary measure, adding that the death of the three boars gives assurance to people to visit the zoo "as we noticed that the number of visitors to the zoo was decreasing amid fears of the flu."

Hakim Abdul Zahra, spokesman of Baghdad municipal, which operates the zoo, said that "after we heard the news about the spread of A/H1N1 flu, we had talks with the ministries of health and agriculture about the boars in the zoo and we agreed to kill them."

On Thursday, the Iraqi government confirmed that Iraq is free of the deadly A/H1N1 flu, previously known as swine flu, and that precautions have been taken after a warning was issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO raised its six-tier alert to five, the second-highest, and warned that a pandemic declaration may come soon. It urged countries to make final preparations to deal with a virus that may sweep across the globe.