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Honesty
03-07-2014, 06:48 PM
Here is a good article. It certainly makes you think!

In 2005, the worst epidemic of Avian Flu spread through quite a few countries. The US was heavily hit. When this happened, people who owned pet birds such as parrots and other species were frightened to death. There was never a message sent out as to what birds would get infected so people thought that wild parrots were also at risk.
Parrots did not get Avian Flu. That flu only applied to all ground dwelling birds such as chickens, roosters, turkeys, pheasants,quail, ducks and other waterfowl and all other ground dwelling birds who were being raised for food consumption. When the flu spread, the sale of these items came to a halt in all areas where poultry was being raised. Importation came to a halt.

Avian flu is transmitted through animals in areas such as places that harvested these animals for sale to retailers and wholesalers. Avian Flu was spread through infected feces, infected unine, infected animal feed, infected water and in all the areas that these birds ate from and walked in. The flu was also spread unintentionally by all of the people who worked there and were wearing large boots to walk through all of these things. They spread the infected matter all over the place.

The outbreak of Swine Flu in 2010 was spread in the exact same way. Besides pigs, hogs, the swine flu was also contracted by cows and horses and donkeys because they were around all of the infected products laying around. Their hay was infected. Some of the grasses that cows ate were also infected.

During that time, there was only one reported death of a parrot and the reason was that the parrot lived in a huge area that these animals were raised in, namely a very large enclosed barn. He shared all of the food , stepped in fecal matter and ingested many items simply because the parrot was a scavenger as all are.

Yes, you heard about that infamous Avian Flu back in 05. But you never heard about predatory birds, hookbill flock birds such as parrots, soft bill birds such as canaries, finches, or budgies getting the flu. Sales of these birds were never halted. None of these pet type birds, hookbill and soft bill (excluding predatory birds such as eagles, hawks, or falcons - they're not pets) were put into any type of quarantine. The flu was never spread by tree living and dwelling migratory birds no matter what country they lived in. Vets didn't give out warnings to parrot owners concerning the flu since it didn't apply.

Free flying wild uncaptured predatory birds and flock prey birds such as parrots never contracted any flu nor were any migratory type birds accused of spreading any type of flu throughout any countries.

The above is my short story about that past problem but I should say that it's not a good idea to take a parrot, put a short tether on it and decide to walk down the street with the bird on the ground to show off the bird. Streets and roads have the remnants of urine, feces, regurgitated stomach contents and other toxic items that come from other animals such as dogs and cats and other free running 4 legged animals. The birds were meant to fly or stay on a shoulder, not walked on the ground. Who knows what just walked on that same ground 30 minutes before?

Mare
03-07-2014, 09:10 PM
Good one!

jules
03-26-2014, 09:07 PM
a very good article wendy. though provoking too x