Infected birds inhabit S.F. Zoo's new exhibit

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 16, 2006 | Patricia Yollin

[ConservativeMind]

At least five parakeets in the flock at Binnowee Landing, the San Francisco Zoo's new blockbuster exhibit, have tested positive for a disease that is highly contagious and often fatal to other members of the avian community -- including family pets -- according to an internal memo sent by the head veterinarian the day before the show opened.

Bird lovers are worried and furious.

The ailment, which cannot be transmitted to humans, is called psittacine beak and feather disease. The zoo knew about the problem before importing the creatures but decided to go ahead with the heavily promoted June 8 opening of the interactive exhibit, in which birds in a walk-in aviary land on visitors who lure them with millet-coated feed sticks.

Zoo officials say there's nothing to fret about.

...

Treatment: No known treatment.

[Cinnamon]

oh oh.. heere comes the scare of the century...

[ConservativeMind]

If you read the article, you realize their approach to "controlling" the disease is to do nothing:

Moreover, the five infected parakeets are still on display and have not been isolated from the rest of the flock, even though quarantining such birds is routine. The veterinarian at Living Exhibits Inc., the San Diego company that is renting the traveling show to the zoo, wanted it that way, Dunker said in a phone interview.

"That was their choice," he said. "In this case, they thought it was kind of like closing the door after the flock leaves."

Yet, they continue to go forward with the exhibit and encourage bird owners to show up for it.

It is so contagious that a few particles of their infected down wafting through the air (in this open exhibit) could spread the disease to home owners' pets.

It sounds like San Francisco's approach containing disease is to let it happen anyway.

Sounds like they haven't learned since AIDS hit their city.

[HHFi]

This is absolutely incredible. I have 15 birds, from a parakeet up to two African grays and two cockatoos. PBFD is a horrible, contagious, incurable disease that all bird owners live in fear of. Many of us won't even buy perches or toys from bird fairs because there are other birds in the room that might have shed the virus on them. For these idiots at that zoo to set up an exhibit designed to attract bird owners, and then knowingly expose them to this disease should be a criminal act, or at least expose them to massive civil lawsuits.

While they're at it, why don't they just set up a petting zoo featuring cats with feline leukemia, pigs with worms and dogs with rabies?

[domenad]

By the way, for all of those birds you have, I heartily recommend the NY Times. Soaks it all up real nice I hear.

[b4its2late]

[HHFi]

If you want to know how devastating this disease is and just how stupid this zoo is being (birds with PBFD have to be quarantined for the REST OF THEIR LIVES!), here is one of many good web pages about it. If you want to have your heart broken, scroll down to the personal stories and read Laura's Story or the one about Tommy the African gray parrot: http://www.geocities.com/~calliefeather/pbfd.html