British pet owners abandon their parrots in droves as fears of bird flu fly. A record 23 pets, worth ~£20k, turned up on the National Parrot Sanctuary’s doorstep this past weekend.
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Dutch bird hobbyists, who keep chickens, geese and ducks as pets, are giving their birds to local petting zoos and children’s farms out of fear of bird flu. Many pet owners do not have the resources to shelter their birds indoors, as is required by law in Holland from last Monday.
At farms and petting zoos in cities like the Hague, Apeldoorn and Leideschendam, the pet birds have been tossed into the yard by their owners.
Jan Wolleswinkel, president of the Dutch Organization for Poultry Farmers (NOP), warns that birds which have been vaccinated against the bird flu may still be culled in case the virus breaks out in their neighborhood.
A macaw owned by a Pennsylvania man attacked a burglar last month when the criminal broke into its owner’s apartment. The bird drew blood and the attack lead to the culprit’s confession. Read the story Pet Bird Beats Up Burglar at Fox News.
Farmers in Norway want fresh grass for their livestock and are threatening to drive off migratory geese – and their poop. As a result, it’s possible that tens of thousands of bean geese which are now in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark will have big problems on arrival in Norway when they begin their migration. Researcher Marcel Kaassen from the Dutch Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) pleads for international intervention in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
The small bean goose has two populations in Europe. One group winters in the United Kingdom and migrates to Greenland or Iceland for the warmer months. The Spitsbergen group flies from their winter homes in the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to their breeding ground in Spitsbergen. They have rest stops throughout Norway during their journey.
The Antwerp Zoo and the Planckendael Zoo in Mechelen, Belgium, plan to vaccinate birds against the bird flu virus. Starting Monday, 20 February, the zoos began to vaccinate the most vulnerable birds, including storks, ostriches and waterfowl. The zoos were authorized to take this action by the government, according to a statement made on Sunday from the Antwerp Zoo.
At Planckendael, zoo officials admitted they were not completely sure if the vaccine will work to protect the birds. Even if it does work, it will only protect them against one type of bird flu.
The Belgian government has ordered all domestic birds which have not been vaccinated to be kept indoors. The Planckendael zoo chose to vaccinate the birds for their own well-being. According to a vet at the zoo, the exotic bird population there has already been indoors as a precaution since October. The emus in particular have had a rough time and have lost their appetite for food. The flamingoes, on the other hand, are normally kept inside during the winter, so the measures pose little threat to their well-being.
The birds at the Planckendael zoo will be vaccinated in two steps. The first shots are given this week; a second round will be given in six weeks. This is to insure that the birds produce enough antibodies to be resistant to the virus. However, it is not known if the vaccine will work with the “exotic” birds. The vaccine was made for poultry birds like chickens and ducks. There is no separate vaccine available for birds such as emus and flamingoes. A zoo official said that the birds would have to be vaccinated again in six months to continue their protection.
The vaccination process is stressful for the birds. Dutch zoos have already vaccinated some of their birds last year, and they noticed that some birds experienced swelling in the area of the shot. Because of the stress involved in giving the shot, the vets will conduct other studies on the birds while they are restrained.
In the Netherlands, the Rotterdam Zoo Blijdorp already vaccinated their bird population on December 13. The zoo in Amersfoort has also given the shots to their birds.
Sources:
Antwerpse Zoo vaccineert vogels
Exotische vogels Planckendael krijgen spuitje tegen vogelgriep
Swans have been hard hit by the deadly H5N1 virus in Europe; new individuals are found dead each day and the list of countries where they are found is growing. The mute swan, one of three species of swan found in Europe, has been the hardest hit by the disease, though they do not migrate. They are known to fly up to 180 miles to flee cold temperatures, which may explain the large number of mute swans who have been killed by the virus. Scientists are studying the spread of the virus and investigating the role played by swans. Read the story Swans useful pointers to spread of bird flu, experts say.
“Swiss swans have just one more weekend to have a fling before a government ban on keeping birds in the open air comes into effect on Monday. Forcing the birds to stay indoors will disrupt their behavior just as they are getting ready for reproductive action in the mating season which is about to start.” Read the story Bird flu fears will ruin swans’ sex lives, Swiss zoo warns in the Daily Times.
“Hundreds of panicked swimmers were evacuated from a Hong Kong swimming pool when a bird flew into the water, a news report said (Sunday). The incident at the indoor pool in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district Saturday was an indication of the level of fear over avian flu in the city of 6.8 million.” Read the story Swimmers in flight as bird hits water in HK in Gulf Times.
“The Tower of London has decided to keep its famous ravens indoors to protect them from bird flu. Special aviaries have been created for the six birds within one of the towers of the fortress on the Thames.” Read the story Tower’s ravens are kept indoors on BBC News.
The parents of the baby penguin stolen from a British zoo in December hatched a new chick last Tuesday. Kyala and Oscar’s chick has yet to be named and its sex is also still unknown. The Amazon World Zoo on the Isle of Wight installed surveillance cameras in the penguins’ pen for extra security. Read the story Penguins are parents once again at ABC News.
