Dear Neil

Whilst I understand your reaction, I think it is important that its not seen
as a knee-jerk reaction.  In fact the issue of 'Bird Flue' is taxing the
minds of many.  For example it has been a major topic of discussion at the
Convention on Migratory Species Conference currently ongoing in Nairobi,
including the participation of Birdlife.  IUCN have been painstakingly
providing correct information about the epidimiology of Bird Flue in order
to prevent wrong solutions being pursued.  Yes there are still big gaps in
the information and understanding of this virus, but it is not true that the
trade in wild caught birds has been exposed as the main carrier of Avian
Influenza.  This was a conclusion that was stated in a press release without
any consultation of those who did have appropriate information.

Yes wild birds, not only migrants, carry the virus, but in a mild form, but
so do chickens, since they are also birds.  When the virus is mutated into a
virulent form and passed back to wild birds, they die - thus breaking the
cycle.  But to come back to the trade issue.  The trade in wild birds is
insignificant compared to the trade in live chicks.  It is far more likely
that the desease is being spread through the live chicken trade.   By
highlighting wild birds, as you suggest, you may actually be doing more harm
than good.

Regards

Nigel Hunter
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Neil & Liz Baker [mailto:tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk]
  Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 2:11 PM
  To: tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com
  Cc: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com; SABNET; tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp;
BirdsinRussia@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [KENYABIRDSNET] AI, the bird trade and those NGO Ostriches.


  Hi all

  With the "legal" and illegal trade in wild caught
  birds now being exposed as the main carrier of Avian
  Influenza around the globe it's time the BirdLife
  "partnership" aroused its members to tell (not ask)
  Cambridge and Sandy to do something.

  While we cannot expect any change out of the CITES
  secretariat or TRAFFIC we, the caring birdwatching
  public, should expect better from the institutions we
  are told are "saving the birds".

  Edward, many thanks for this.

  Taichi, we need an English text from Japan. We have to
  stir these conservation bureaucrats into action.

  We do not want Governments attempting mass slaughter
  of wild birds and it's about time this offensive trade
  was stopped once and for all.

  Neil

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

  From: tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp
  Sender: BirdsinRussia@yahoogroups.com
  Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 11:07:17 +0900 (JST)
  Subject: [BirdsinRussia] Re: bird trade and avian
  influenza
  Reply-To: BirdsinRussia@yahoogroups.com


  Re: bird trade and avian influenza

  The BBC news provides an enlightening possibility:

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4438838.stm
  "Doubts over bird flu tests raised"

  Responding to the report, the Taiwanese government
  said:
  "There is a good possibility that profit-driven
  traders smuggled Mesias (Finch species) from China to
  Taiwan, using our avian
  flu-free country as a front from which they laundered
  these birds to the UK and other countries."

  It sounds like a very promising possibility.
  Practically the same thing happened in 1998 (though I
  am not aware if there is an English language report on
  this).  A consignment of songbirds from Hong Kong
  (which was then H5N1 affected) was sent, illegally, to
  Japan via Malaysia, using Malaysia as a false area of
  origin for the birds. Legal action was immediately
  taken by the Japanese government.  At that time, Japan
  imported a large number of
  wild birds labeled as "originating from Malaysia",
  which was AI Virus free and so a legal area of origin.

  The URL of the engaged NGO (The National Wild Bird
  Poaching Countermeasure of Japan):
  http://tatsutomi.co.jp/mittairen/ (Japanese only)

  The above story is described in detail in the
  following book:
  http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4062721635/250-2392309-4205055
  (Japanese, author: Kimio Endo)

  Regards,
  Taichi Kato
    ----------

  Neil and Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania.
  Mobiles: 0748-509906 and 0748-834273.
  http://tanzaniabirdatlas.com
  Subscribe to: tanzaniabirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
  YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

    a..  Visit your group "kenyabirdsnet" on the web.

    b..  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     kenyabirdsnet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

    c..  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]