From NICK PARKER
in Bucharest

DUCKS and geese are being burned alive during a cull designed to stop bird flu, it was revealed yesterday.

They are surviving attempts to gas them humanely in remote Eastern European communities.

The RSPCA is investigating reports that some were still struggling in plastic bags when they were tossed on to fires.

Sun readers inspired by our campaign against animal cruelty told us they had seen live birds being burned on TV news reports.

Authorities in Romania and Turkey are culling thousands of birds in a frantic bid to halt the spread of the H5N1 virus to humans.

Local sources admitted yesterday some birds were hard to kill humanely.

Jayne Mansfield, of Penzance, Cornwall, said: “The TV pictures showed birds being burned alive. Bird flu is serious, but there is no excuse for such cruelty.”

Abrazi Stanca, from the Romanian village of Ceamurlia, said yesterday: “Some birds were not killed by the gas. We tried to kill them humanely but just couldn’t.”

Village mayor Mihai Carciumarude said: “Some of the geese and ducks are more resistant to the gas.”

More than 17,000 birds have been culled in Ceamurlia, 200 miles east of the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

The most feared H5N1 bird flu virus was confirmed there on Saturday.

Turkey is also culling tens of thousands after H5N1 was reported in the west of the country.

The EU has banned imports from affected areas.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005480089,00.html

We tried to kill them humanely but just couldn’t.

I don't know why, but that sounds sooo funny to me.

Oh, not only do they burn the poultry alive, but they also bury them alive.

Not only geese and ducks, but chicken as well.

It's the most common way of doing it as far as I can make out.

It's pretty disgusting.

I can understand the need to kill these birds. If this disease spreads, it could kill MILLIONS and MILLIONS of birds in the whole world. Not only poultry, but wild birds as well. It could be tragic for the eco-system. And of course, could lead to a terrible human pandemic as well - there's a fifty/fifty chance it will, in fact.

But there must be a way to do it in a kinder way.

I believe man has brought this disaster on himself through his desire to eat cheap poultry. I may be wrong. Maybe it is just "one of those things", but I think man is responsible here for this tragedy.

I'm beginning to be quite worried about bird flu, not for myself, but for my chickens. :(

Of course, the danger to humans is very great, as this spreads across the world. There is not enough medicine in the world to treat it and because of patent laws, there won't be enough manufactured.

"HAIPHONG, Vietnam - After wandering amid cages of birds and rabbits at an open-air market in Hanoi, after watching the gutting of a freshly slaughtered chicken, and after visiting a Haiphong family sickened by bird flu, the United States' top health official came to a grim conclusion: Preventing the start of a global flu outbreak is just about impossible."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051015/ap_on_he_me/bird_flu_us;_ylt=AocVYBeegbByHhwaaXx7MerVJRIF;_ylu =X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Ludi: I wonder if there are not some supplements you could feed your chickens with which could get their immune systems really in ship-shape form. Vitamins and trace elements and such. I wonder if a vet who believes in natural healing methods would be able to help you (by e-mail if necessary).

Not all birds (nor humans) die from this flu, so there is obviously something in the immune system which allows for them to live.

From what I understand, there is a paradoxical effect with this flu, as there was with the deadly Spanish flu of 1918 (I hope I have the date right). It tends to kill the healthiest members of the population. So I'm not sure if boosting the immune system would be a good idea...I just don't know.:help:

I'm mostly worried about there being some kind of regulation passed that would make it illegal to have poultry.

There's already a program being developed to force all livestock owners to register their animals with a central database.

I believe man has brought this disaster on himself through his desire to eat cheap poultry. I may be wrong. Maybe it is just "one of those things", but I think man is responsible here for this tragedy.

yep, Its rediculous the industry always wins this battle of humane vs cost effectiveness. They can throw 1000 birds into a pit and just have a front end loader dump 5 tons of dirt on top and theyre worries are over. i hope all those people get the virus anyway, what a filthy area. I know our US sucks with issues like this but why is it always the european contries that have outbreaks in foot and mouth, mad cow, now this flu virus... they must keep their places pretty dirty and not disinfected.

This excellent letter to the editor was printed in our local paper yesterday:


Every time there is a story about avian flu, it is always about the consequences for humans. We talk so freely about thousands of birds being "destroyed," but the images I see of people throwing chickens into bags like yesterday's garbage are extremely cruel and disturbing. There are humane methods such as controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) that would enusre these birds have painless deaths. Yet authorities choose barbaric ways of slaughtering these animals.

All animals can feel fear and pain and the fact that we choose to eat chickens of pigs and not dogs or cats does not mean chickens and pigs deserve such cruel treatment.

We can learn a lot from the endurance and integrity of chickens, geese and ducks which have a hellish life from the minute they are born until they end up on someone's plate (not mine, since I am a vegetarian). I am also starting to believe humans deserve the avian flu and the horrible consequences of it for being such destructive, greedy and mean creatures.

I am also starting to believe humans deserve the avian flu and the horrible consequences of it for being such destructive, greedy and mean creatures.

I wonder how many people disregarded it after that part.

Every time there is a story about avian flu, it is always about the consequences for humans.

I'll have to look for the source, but apparently a poultry industry guy said he was more worried more about there not being chicken to eat than any human toll.

I'll have to look for the source, but apparently a poultry industry guy said he was more worried more about there not being chicken to eat than any human toll.

That would still be a consequence for humans though. :p No chicken for humans to eat. :cry:

True.... I didn't think of that.

Now, which would I rejoice more at...... people whining about not being able to eat chicken, or people (chicken eaters, of course) dying from bird flu? 'Tis certainly a hard choice!
Either way it's less chickens being eaten, and that's what counts..... although, I think with the former they'll just try to breed more "safe" chickens, whereas with the latter breeding will drop since chicken eaters will be dead.
There, I guess I've made up my mind. ;)

And, having no chickens to eat would harm humans' health since they would all get rampant protein and B12 deficiency. DUH. :rolleyes:




:lol:

I'll have to look for the source, but apparently a poultry industry guy said he was more worried more about there not being chicken to eat than any human toll.


A "poultry industry guy" is worried about poultry producers/processors/salespeople not making money selling chicken, is what he's really worried about. If avian flu could put Tyson out of business, it will have done one good thing. :evil: