Hans Rudolf Oeser for The International Herald Tribune
German pet owners struggling with new rules are seeking advice from animal shelters. Sigrid Heizmann looks after cats at the shelter in Singen.
Posted on 03/06/2006 5:51:53 PM PST by neverdem
SINGEN, Germany, March 2 — Hannelore Kirchenmaier burst into the animal shelter here on Thursday, desperate for advice after a chain of events turned the town's household pets into objects of angst.
First, a stray cat died of bird flu on the German island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. Before long German authorities decreed that all cats had to be kept indoors throughout areas where infected wild birds had been found, including Singen. They also said dogs should stay on leashes when outside.
So there are now millions of pet owners in Germany trying to contend with their beloved four-legged bundles of trouble.
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Ms. Kirchenmaier, 51.
She takes regular care of a friend's dog that has suddenly befriended a wild cat. Should she keep the dog away from the cat? And how could she keep the cat away from birds? "I'd take the cat," she said. "But I already have seven myself."
Bird flu's rapid march from Asia to Europe and Africa has created waves of anxiety and economic disruption; the poultry industry is disabled in much of Europe.
Meanwhile, only the one cat is known to have died of the virus in Europe, and that was far from this town of 44,000, which lies near sprawling Lake Constance, a stone's throw from Switzerland.
But when a dead duck found in Singen was confirmed to have the lethal A(H5N1) strain of bird flu last week, the town became a hotbed of dread. It is facing a challenge to its mood and social rhythms, if not its health.
Cats can become infected with A(H5N1) by eating infected birds but it is very rare. And medical authorities say there is barely any chance of a cat passing the disease to humans.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Poor kitties....people are always looking for an excuse to kill them. These pets are the most misunderstood of them all.
I understand that sentiment. I have four dogs and have been feeding three 'Katrina' dogs that were abandoned down at the FEMA truck parking yard since the hurricane. I think the one I call 'Mama Dog' is going into heat...LOL, I don't know what I'm going to do...'Daddy Dog' is real interested.
Weeelll....They do kill 200 million birds in the US each year, usually after torturing them for a few hours first.
I hope we're not about to witness some sort of pet pogrom over there. The German psyche does have a bit of a dark streak, when dealing with a perceived threat. I still remember the sick feeling and chills down my spine, when I first saw all the burning pyres of cattle over in the UK, due to mad cow fears. Slaughtered pets would be a nightmare to behold.
BBC
More than 150 cats have been living at the shelter
Austria says it has detected the potentially lethal strain of bird flu in several live cats.
The discovery, in the southern state of Styria, follows the detection of H5N1 in a dead cat in Germany last week.
That case was thought to be the first example outside Asia of the virus crossing species to infect a mammal.
However, it is unlikely the virus is spreading between cats and chances are negligible they may pass it to humans, says the BBC's Ania Lichtarowicz.
The virus has also spread for the first time to Poland, while Serbia says it has detected the strain in dead swans and has sent samples for further tests.
The H5N1 virus can be caught by humans who handle infected birds, but it is not yet known to have passed from one person to another.
However, experts fear the virus could mutate to gain this ability, and in its new form trigger a flu pandemic that could kill millions.
Growing concerns
Austrian officials said the three cats were from an animal shelter near Graz that took in H5N1-infected birds last month, when the country's first case of the strain in birds was detected.
All the cats at the Noah's Ark shelter have been put in quarantine and the shelter has been closed until further notice.
Officials in Serbia say they have detected H5N1 in swans found dead in northern and western parts of the country, although samples have been sent to the UK for confirmation.
Poland's national laboratory said it had identified the virus in birds found near a river in the northern city of Torun.
Jan Zmudzinski, deputy director of the Pulawy laboratory, said that the virus was "definitely H5N1".
Samples would now be sent to the EU laboratory in Weybridge, UK, for further examination, he said.
Authorities in the country had been on the lookout for bird flu after outbreaks of H5N1 were reported across Europe in recent weeks.
Concerns had risen since Friday when a dead swan with the H5N1 virus was found on the River Oder, the border between Poland and Germany.
Germany confirmed its first cases of the virus in February.
There are 5 adult cats and who knows how many of their offspring (here in my backyard in Germany) that roam all over the neighborhood, killing birds and fish from the ponds...ours too. We had 9 Japenese goldfish, and now we have 2 left. They attack the beautiful birds feeding at our feeders, as well. These cats don't seem to belong to anybody, but they go everywhere for several blocks. My husband would love to get a crossbow and take a few out, as you are not permitted to own a gun here.
God...I'm tired of that same old ignorant statement.
Glass Windows
Bird Deaths a year: 100 to 900+ million
Dr. Daniel Klem of Muhlenberg College has done studies over a period of 20 years, looking at bird collisions with windows. His conclusion: glass kills more birds than any other human related factor.
Automobiles / Trucks
Bird Deaths a year: 50 to 100 Million
Scientists estimate the number of birds killed by cars and trucks on the nation's highways to be 50 to 100 million a year. Those statistics were cited in reports published by the National Institute for Urban Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Electric Transmission Line Collisions
Bird Deaths a year: up to 174 million
Estimates made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service demonstrate millions of birds die each year as a result of colliding with transmission lines.
Agriculture
Bird Deaths a year: 67 million
Pesticides likely poison an estimated 67 million birds per year according to the Smithsonian Institution. Cutting hay may kill up to a million more birds a year.
Land Development
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
Suburban sprawl is a silent but deadly killer. The National Audubon Society says loss of bird habitat is the greatest threat to bird populations.
Communication Towers
Bird Deaths a year: 4 to 10 million
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that bird collisions with tall, lighted communications towers, and their guy wires result in 4 to 10 million bird deaths a year.
Stock Tank Drowning
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and other conservationists believe that large numbers of birds inadvertently drown in livestock water tanks.
Oil and Gas Extraction
Bird Deaths a year: 1 to 2 million
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that up to 2 million birds died landing in oil pits to bathe and drink in 1997. Fish and Wildlife says netting has improved that situation somewhat. There are no overall estimates for the number of birds affected by oil and gas spills, and oil and gas extractions (and transport.)
Logging and Strip Mining
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
Logging and strip mining destroy bird habitat. According to the National Audubon Society, habitat destruction is the leading cause of bird population declines.
Commercial Fishing
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ornithological Council report that 40 thousand seabirds per year are killed in the Gulf of Alaska by long line fishing operations. These same sources say long lining and gill netting kill large numbers of birds in other parts of the country as well.
Electrocutions
Raptor Deaths a year: more than 1,000
Experts estimate that more than one thousand hawks, eagles, falcons and owls are electrocuted on transmission lines and poles each year.
Hunting
Bird Deaths a year: 100 + million
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 100 million ducks, geese, swans, doves, shorebirds, rails, cranes, among others are harvested legally each year.
ping.
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