Some of Beijing Zoo's animals are suffering menu changes because
of the bird flu epidemic rampant in Asia.
Gone are the lions and tigers delectable "live" chicken
dinners.
In, instead, are raw beef and mutton. Ummmmm, them's eats.
While carnivores go chicken-less, the zoo's birds are also
receiving some special and, some would say, uncomfortable treatment
these days. The peacocks in Shanghai Wild Animal Park and Beijing
Badaling Safari Animal World, who used to be featured in a park and
could strut around showing off their beautiful plumage, now are
forced to stay in cages.
And turkeys at the Beijing Zoo -- believed to be particularly
susceptible to the poultry virus -- have been moved out of their
old home to quarters separate from visitors.
In more cases, display sections with birds have been closed for
health reasons.
Yet a good thing about the temporary situation is that the zoos'
birds living environments are being improved, with keepers keeping
the display areas cleaner and not as crowded as before.
Almost all zoos have arranged more frequent cleaning and
disinfection for birdcages, as well.
The Shanghai Wild Animal Park is even requiring every park
visitor there to walk over disinfectant rugs and vehicles must be
driven through a pool of disinfectant -- measures to prevent
infection.
Zoos also have given vaccination to birds under their care.
In contrast, "poor" wild birds not only have lost protection
from humans, but have been expelled from parks to find new places
to roost.
Wild birds, usually migratory birds who liked to inhabit in zoos
and parks at night, are now treated with due care.
"It is a measure in this special period of bird flu epidemic to
prevent these wild birds from infecting the zoo birds," a Beijing
Zoo written statement issued on Wednesday said.
The zoo reasons that crows it has been trying to get rid of may
track in food from suburban garbage disposal areas.
"Crows are scavengers picking up contaminated food from garbage,
which make them threats to our birds. They are very likely to carry
virus and bacteria with them," the statement said.
Pigeons are also frowned upon.
In Beijing, many homing pigeon lovers use balconies of
apartments to build cages to accommodate birds. Most neighbors are
annoyed by these cages since they can create pigeon droppings and
feathers.
To pacify residents' worries, the city's homing pigeon
association is requiring all its members to stop letting pigeons
out of their cages and keep cages clean during the epidemic
period.
Still, pigeons and some other birds seem less lovely to people
than before.
As one Chinese newspaper put it: "Doves, are you still
angels?"
(China Daily February 9, 2004)