You have a pet bird?

[Scally the Wag]

The Bird Flu situation has reached the point where you are ordered to surrender for killing all live birds, whether pets, sports stars (pigeons), food (hens), soul mates (cheeky parrots)... etc.

 

Would you?

 

If you can't relate to birds: try dog or cat flu and the same order regarding your 'best friend'.

 

Already happening over here in some areas - good friend has a complete menagerie of valuable and much-loved birds... All will have to go.

[Guest Jack Bauer]

I'd give my bird a weapon and free it, giving it a chance for survival. I would send it into exile, then when I am dead my son shall seek the bird out who is still alive and would be trained by the bird to defeat the forces of darkness created by the bird empire which rose from the ashes of the devestation from bird flu.

[badtodabone]

feel sorry for tyhe birds but im against birds as pets, hate seeing birds in cages

[slapnuts]

I had a pigeon out side my front door for about the last 3 weeks, I bought it some pigeon seed on Friday and by Saturday it had fecked off.

 

The ungrateful bastid 88p that cost me.

[Tosh]

simple choice really....

 

Give the pet up or incur the wrath of a seething mob of people who's family may get the flu...

 

Yes, it would be horribly tough and I am sure all sorts of arguments could be made along the lines of "how can my pet caged Norwegian Blue have come into contact with other birds in the comfort of my living room?" but where should the line get drawn?

 

Seems to me that the most draconian measure, brutal though it is, should minimse risk. However, IMO, it's all peeing in the wind anyway as once this does go global in birds, it's all the more likely to mutate to people. Wringing Joey's neck will not stop some migrating goose landing in a turkey farm in Norfolk.

[Scally the Wag]

On present counts, it has been found in birds on all continents except Australia & Antarctica...

 

We have them falling out of the sky over here... Sparrows in particular.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if it mutates to a different species before Homo Sapiens...

[Herbie von Smalls]

feel sorry for tyhe birds but im against birds as pets, hate seeing birds in cages

is right

[Scally the Wag]

But the logical extension is that whatever the animal, if it is taken out of its natural environment and forced to conform for our pleasure, this is wrong...

 

So what about Kitty & Rover? I alluded to this above: the real point being that if/when the powers determine that for the safety of Mankind, Animalkind must go, would you or I be willing to give up our precious bundles of fur, feathers or scales...?

[Herbie von Smalls]

But the logical extension is that whatever the animal, if it is taken out of its natural environment and forced to conform for our pleasure, this is wrong...

yes, and?

[Tosh]

But the logical extension is that whatever the animal, if it is taken out of its natural environment and forced to conform for our pleasure, this is wrong...

 

So what about Kitty & Rover? I alluded to this above: the real point being that if/when the powers determine that for the safety of Mankind, Animalkind must go, would you or I be willing to give up our precious bundles of fur, feathers or scales...?

 

 

But there is the heart of the ethical question

 

Is it ethically and morally right as creatures sharing a planet/created by God/resulting from different turns on the road of intelligent design/differing stages of their paths to nirvana* (delete as appropriate) for mankind to arbitrarily and en masse send other species to their deaths so we can avoid a few runny noses?

 

Is it defensible to kill all the birds to avoid the deaths of the few people? I have SOME sympathy where the animals are domesticated, as they are bred to die (such as foot and mouth). But wild animals/birds (or badgers who may/may not infect domesticated cattle...)?

Edited February 21, 2006 by Tosh

[badtodabone]

But the logical extension is that whatever the animal, if it is taken out of its natural environment and forced to conform for our pleasure, this is wrong...

 

thats right but cats and dogs if treated well are usually happy ,at least i think so ,but a bird is unique in that it flies and if you cage it or clip its wings you take away the thing that makes it a bird,which seems increadbly cruel to me .

[Scally the Wag]

Herbie: "yes, and?"

 

Well, would you comply with such an order if it meant giving up for death one or more of your own pets, whether they be birds, beagles or beetles?