Sure I care about humans but can this bird flu wipe out millions of birds?

[henslee]

[billyskank]

1. I would have thought so. n/t

[henslee]

2. A world without birds. Not good.

[billyskank]

3. I didn't say it would kill all of them

I'm sure that won't happen. :pals:

[henslee]

4. I know but I'm feeling a bit pessimistic this afternoon.

[pitohui]

5. bird flu has existed for millennia, the birds bounce back

i'm not sure if any bird flu has ever wiped out millions of wild birds, they don't gather in such concentrations

however, as far as domestic poultry, i do believe there have been depopulations of over 1 million birds to contain avian flu at various times in the usa, don't quote me for certain, i do know for a fact that over 1 million domestic poultry were depopulated in the recent newcastle's outbreak in los angeles county area

while flu is bad for the birds, hysteria & promotion of depopulation of migratory birds would be far worse than the actual flu, i can see hysteria growing to such a size where gov'ts or even vigilantes would try to wipe out birds in areas where they stage or winter, because this would be where the birds are found in large concentrations

a usa example would be, huge numbers of migratory cranes & geese winter near socorro, new mexico, if hysteria hit in winter, you could wipe out nearly every greater sandhill crane in the usa by going to that location at the right time

i hope ppl in china are keeping a cool head abt their wildlife treasures, depopulation is a reasonable tool to contain avian flu in domestic poultry where birds are crowded together year round, it is not a reasonable tool w. wild migratory waterfowl

the passenger pigeon in its flocks of millions of birds did fine for millennia, flu, avian encephalitis, & who knows what all, but the modern shotgun erased it from the face of the earth in a few short decades