Is South Korea over-reacting in killing all these animals?

[Target_For_Exterm]

They're killing infected chickens, plus pigs, dogs, cats and mice. I have to feel for them because bird flu broke out in their heaviest poultry production area, and it's spreading. Bad news for the food supply. The equivalent of bird flu breaking out at Tyson in the US. But their paranoia seems to be going a bit far...

(Warning: I found the references to eating dogs to be a bit disgusting.)

"BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean quarantine officials in Iksan City on Tuesday began the slaughter of pigs and dogs although international health experts have questioned the necessity of killing non-poultry species to prevent the spread of bird flu.

But the officials insist the decision to slaughter pigs and dogs was not unusual and that the step has been taken in other countries without public knowledge.

Park Kyung-hee, an official at Iksan city hall, said Wednesday 426 pigs and four dogs have been killed along with 127,200 chickens and 6.8 million eggs.

Park said nearly 700 dogs -- bred on farms for consumption -- were to be killed, but it was unclear when the slaughter would take place. She said efforts are focused on destroying more susceptible animals like poultry and pigs for now."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-11/29/content_5406728.htm

To me, this smells like panic.

Makes me wonder what kind of panic would break out here if they found high path bird flu at Tyson. No doubt the USDA would cover it up so Tyson wouldn't have to pay for a recall. :crazy:

[Mojorabbit]

1. China

is killing dogs too but they are saying it is to prevent rabies which I do not believe for a moment. They have found h5n1 in cats in the past and in dogs. I think it was in France that people started dumping pet birds when it appeared there. A lot of people dump animals now. I shudder to think of what might happen to pets if the virus appears here and the media hype it up.

[Brazenly Liberal]

2. It's really pointless killing.

When large numbers of animals are in close quarters and under stress, conditions are ideal for new diseases/variants of diseases to rise and spread. That's why these new flu varieties always seem to come from some livestock operations. They can kill off all these animals, but they'll end up replacing them and the same thing will happen again as it's happened before.

The only reason we don't have these major outbreaks in the US is that companies like Tyson have their birds on some heavy duty drugs from the day they hatch until shortly before they're slaughtered. At the rate drug resistant bugs are coming along, it's only a matter of time before it happens here.