Bird Flu

Over here at the moment people are really starting to panic over Bird Flu.
So far this week there have been 23 parrots dumped outside Rescue Centres.

One a cockatoo had a note with it saying
"Please look after Barney. We have a young childand don't want to get bird flu".
Why won't people check on this to find out if their birds can get it. Messages are being posted outside of some Rescue Centres now saying
"A pet parrot in a living-room isn't going to get bird flu because it has to be in contact with another bird with flu - and that isn't going to happen to a cagebird kept indoors".
The trouble is now some people are just turning their birds loose outside, the ones that are at least leaving them at the gates of Rescue Centres are either doing so late at night or early hours of the morning and the temperatures have dropped here to freezing at best.

I'm not being heartless, I can understand why some people are worried by this, with the media making the situation a lot worse than it really is, but why oh why don't they try to find out more about this. Personally I'm not worried and anyone who wanted to take my babies away would have to get through me first and when it comes to them I can be real scary.:16: :47:

I just wish that if people are worried by this to the extent that they are prepared to give up their birds they would at least drop them inside the Rescue Centres and not leave them in freezing cold, wet temps. I woke up this morning to snow falling. It just makes me so mad

I agree with Peta. More importantly, I'm very surprised at those Rescue Centres. Anyone who's been following this from the onset of this particular virus knows that this flu is only affecting different types of poultry that're heavily packed together. Those Centres should be saying something to the people who're getting nervous and acting prematurely by dumping their birds. !!!!!!!!!

So far, only ONE parrot has been diagnosed with the flu and died. The simple reason that this happened was because that parrot was being kept in a quarantine station with loads of untested, different kinds of poultry. They were waiting to see results concerning that poultry. --------Dave

People panic over the dumbest things...I mean this is a serious issue if it gets out of hand, but it's not like there are 100+ people and birds dying per day!!!!!

The admin. of a different board is moving to Sweden and can't take his Pionus with him bc of the bird flu band. He is leaving his bird with another member on the board untill he is able to get him with him.

I'm very surprised at those Rescue Centres. Those Centres should be saying something to the people who're getting nervous and acting prematurely by dumping their birds. !!!!!!!

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I agree that it is aweful that people are dumping their birds like that, but the Rescues have no way of saying anything to those heartless people who dump the birds outside, under the cover of night and in the freezing cold no less. I have taken many calls here about the bird flu and I tell people that there is no reason to panic and dump the birds, but neither I, or anyone else can do anything about the sleezy people who dump the poor birds to die alone in the night on the doorstep of the Rescues and pet stores. I don't feel that blaming the Rescues for the action of ignorant people is fair at all.

"""""""""""but the Rescues have no way of saying anything to those heartless people who dump the birds outside, under the cover of night and in the freezing cold no less."""""""""""""

I guess that's true. I'm just venting cause it pisses me off. It's like hitting a raw nerve.

""""""""""I don't feel that blaming the Rescues for the action of ignorant people is fair at all.""""""""""""'

That's something I didn't say or do. -------Dave

That's something I didn't say or do.

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My appologies then Dave. That's just the way it sounded to me when I read your post.

I'm just venting cause it pisses me off.

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Yes, it pisses alot of us off.

I never thought about people doing things like this. I like to find out some facts before I would do anything as harsh as that. (I wouldn't dump my animals either)

The kind of people who do things like this are the ones who have no idea what they're talking about. They heard someone say that the bird flu will kill you and it's coming and they have a bird . . . . etc.

I wish the news reports about the bird flu would stop using the word bird and start using the words POULTRY, CHICKEN, and DUCK. To many people, when they hear the word bird, chickens and ducks do not come to mind. They immediately think of a parakeet or a parrot.

I've taken a few calls at the shop about the bird flu and a lot of people have come in the store and asked if the bird flu has hurt our bird sales yet. (Most have actually smiled like the bird flu is funny or they know they're being very rude I don't know which.) It makes me mad but I've held my tongue and patiently and very nicely explained to them that our caged birds don't have the bird flu and can't get it unless they're exposed to chickens who have it. Whether they believe me or not is anybody's guess.


Edited because I wrote something that sounded like I would actually dump my animals - I won't.

Re: Bird Flu/Alison

Alison

Please, please, please--no apologises are necessary. In a situation like this one that we're all discussing, many words get confused. Feelings and emotions get misconstrued. I was venting. Sometimes, this type of subject makes someone like me wonder about what kind of souls people have. It had to be rough for you to see these things . I remember all the run ins you had with lots of other people concerning your shelter on that other board and it still goes on to this very day.
It pisses me off that there's nothing that'll change the people minds who will abandon birds or other living things in the dark, rainy, cold middle of the night on someone's doorstep with a simple note attached. I know that feeling but not with birds.
When I lived in MO for 5 yrs, there was a house next to mine that was owned by people who would rent the house out. The owners lived in another part of MO. The last people who rented decided to leave the house after 6 mts and they did it in 3 days. They never contacted the owner. They were trying to get away from paying the rent. These people also had 2 dogs that were constantly left out in their backyard and my dog was always getting into real nasty fights with both of them every day. My dog was constantly trying to bite them because they were always barking at him. Luckily, there was a fence that separated the houses.. 2 days after they left, I was walking on my front lawn near the street to pick up the leaf bags that the county threw onto the lawn to the home owners during the fall for the dead leaves.
As I was walking back, I saw something that was glowing near that house's door because of the way the sun was hitting it. I walked over to it and saw an item called HabiTrail sitting on the porch, partially stuck in a bush. Inside this thing were 5 multi colored bushy Teddy Bear hamsters all crammed into it. I really felt bad even though I'm not particularly fond of rodents. They were simply abandoned like used old furniture. Imagine--2 or 3 days without any food or water. Soon they would have started killing each other.
I put them in my garage and then walked up and down the street to houses where kids lived and found them and asked if any of them wanted a hamster or two. I told them to ask their parents if it was alright to take them and if it was, they should come down to my place and take them. In about 1/2 hr, 6 or 7 kids showed up and the rodents were all gone. Later on, I found out that those types of rodents were worth about $ $7 to $8 apiece. The kids were as happy as pigs in sh*it, but I'll tell you this, those people were very lucky I didn't see them doing it, especially the guy because he was a real creep from day 1, Ya see, I'm not a passivist-----Dave

I think cruelty to animals will get us every time. I get real mad when I hear about it. I once had a cat in a box left outside my back door, we found out who had done it and that person knew I had dogs. If I had just let the dogs out they would have killed that poor cat.

It turns out the person who dumped him on my door was someone living in my road who was going on holiday and didn't have anyone to look after him. She said to me that "As you have so many animals here I didn't think one more would matter". Needless to say she never got the cat back I called the Rescue Centre and they re-homed him to a wonderful family, who loves him so much, he's never had it so good.

It had to be rough for you to see these things .

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It is always hard to open the door and find a dead bird in a cage or box on the step that froze to death during the night. What really ticked me off is that I had a big sign that said, "If you are leaving a bird here, regarless of the time of day or night, please ring the bell so that someone can come out and bring it inside where it will be safe", yet they still left them to die.

I have seen it with all sort of animals too. I had a dog for many years that I had aquired after someone tried to kill her. I was driving down the highway at about 11pm and saw someone throw something kinda large out of the window of the car up ahead of me. It bounced off the overpass wall and landed on the edge of the road. Out of curiosity, I slowed down to see what it was, it was a puppy about 3-4 months old. It was pretty banged up and scared to death. I'm glad I am so nosey, she was an awsome dog that I had for many years until old age claimed her several years ago. Almost every animal I have ever had has come from the street, or a shelter and the dogs from those situations have always proved to be the best darn dogs anyone could ever ask for. My dog Luke that died a couple months ago was from the dog pound, he was a great dog too. The pup I have now came from the Sterling Animal Shelter, and he is proving to be a really good dog too, as are my two cats who were unwanted. There's something different about a previously unwanted animal, who is given another chance at life, they want to make you happy.....and they do.