Bird flu alarm

Lloyd Bower

06/04/2006 at 13:36

Seems that the first case of Bird flu as arrived on these shores in the form of a dead swan. I trust we're not looking at vast countryside closures a la the F&M farce from a few years back.

That achieved precisely nothing except near ruining a whole lot of our tourist industry, surely they wouldn't get way with similar closures now.

Jim Chalmers

06/04/2006 at 13:43

Denmark, where I live, had its first cases about a month ago. The regulations started here were that, in the affected areas (about 10 km around discoveries of dead birds), all domestic birds should be isolated from possible contact with wild birds (i.e. all poultry should be indoors and not be allowed to wander around), movement of domestic birds into and out of the affected areas was forbidden and everyone living inside the affected areas should keep their cats indoors in case they (the cats) ate dead birds and became infected, as happened in Germany.

Paddy Dillon

06/04/2006 at 14:01

Oh my God!

Take down the bird-table in your garden!

Don't go to the duck-pond in the park!

Don't go to Trafalgar Square (pigeons)!

Throw out the budgie and cage!

Cower indoors when you see a bird!

Burn the chicken aisles in the shops!

Will someone please make an example of those who generate all the hype in the media? Hanging's too good for them! If it wasn't for TV and newspapers constantly harping on about bird-flu, we could get on with our lives.

Steve Boyer

06/04/2006 at 14:16

Well said !!!!!

Richard Drew

06/04/2006 at 14:57

A lot of hype, and a lot of rubbish is being spoken...

I heard the news reports this morning and it kept saying swan, but without any species details. As migratory patterns of the three swan species that occur here it does make a bit of difference! I think it's been confirmed as a Mute swan which are a largely (not completely) non-migratory species.

Ace High

06/04/2006 at 15:21

I may have picked this up wrong; I heard that the tourism industry was hit much harder than the farming industry during the last F & M. However, the farmers got compensation but the tourism industry got nowt. Is that what happened?

Tony M

06/04/2006 at 17:59

Actually, if they'll do something about those bloody pidgeons then I'm all in favour of Bird Flu.

Paddy Dillon

06/04/2006 at 18:09

I wish they'd do something about those clucking headless chickens that cause all the media hype in the first place!

Parky Again

06/04/2006 at 18:10

keep yer cats in so they don't eat the dead bird.
mm! so just to be on the safe side it'll be an excuse to wipe out foxes, badgers and anything else that will eat carrion not to mention birds that do too. <image of soaring red kite wafts through mind>

John Bailey

06/04/2006 at 18:46

Fill your freezers with chickens before the price starts going up

Weird Darren

06/04/2006 at 19:17

I've started avoiding The Sun and page 3.

Ray !!!!!

06/04/2006 at 19:28

no parky let the cats eat the dead birds.no cats ..no cat pooh in back garden.if only i had an air rifle

Peewiglet

06/04/2006 at 20:05

Heaven help the free-range and organic chickens - I hope they won't be condemned to a life of misery in a shed by this :-(

Ninja Marmot

06/04/2006 at 20:09

What about the poor free-range piglets? If humans can catch bird flu - can they?

Matt C

06/04/2006 at 20:33

I thought little pink piglets were more susceptible to foot-in-mouth disease!!! ;-)

Ninja Marmot

06/04/2006 at 20:50

Matt - don't talk about Trotter and Gob - she may be listening! SHAME on you ;o)

Edited: 06/04/2006 at 20:51

Cruxster Man

06/04/2006 at 20:55

All i can say is wasn't it quiet in the hills when that foot and mouth thing was in all the papers!!!!

Maybe time to break out all my camaflauge gortex and yes i do have a camaflauge 4 season tent type thing and a bivvy.

I know it's hard to believe from the king of bright kit and gear but i do.

Mmmmmmm solitude in the hills once again

Drew

Evil Genius Darren

06/04/2006 at 21:00

Back to the original question.

From the DEFRA website:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/rural/index.htm#2

Edited: 06/04/2006 at 21:01

Jim the park warden

08/04/2006 at 18:09

As part of my job ,for the past couple of months i've had to monitor wildfowl sites for dead birds.
Guess what ? Ifound dead birds .
Guess what ?Some may have died of flu .
Wildfowl do die in the winter , and there are many that starve because of injury from other birds , predators and kids !
If a farmer finds a dead swan on his land , then its odds on that he'll use common sense and dispose of it quietly but safely ,and most local authorities will pick up up a carcass and shove it in a licenced cold store (cold enough to kill bacteria) for disposal at a later date ,so if anyone finds one please think of your options before 'phoning DEFRA and adding to an already heavy workload , and/or a mass panic.

Edited: 08/04/2006 at 18:23

Peewiglet

08/04/2006 at 18:34

JJ,

The Free-Range Piglets will be ok, I think. We're Super-Human, after all :)

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