Zoos Should be Closing and Sequestering Animals to Protect them from H5N1
Every day now is bringing us stories of the torturous and unnecessary deaths of animals trapped in zoos who are being exposed to highly-pathogenic avian influenza, the current iteration of a virus that has now spread to over 108 countries on five continents and has evolved to kill animal species everywhere, including both poles of our planet.
It is immoral and cruel for zoos not to take immediate action and isolate different species from each other, and come up with better arrangements to limit exposure of animals to this virus. Animals in zoo must also be protected from interactions with wild birds. This exposure can also result in widespread loss of lives. An alarm really needs to be sounded that zoos and other “animal attractions” must take action globally to do what they can to stop the spread of this particularly deadly form of avian influenza.
Pet owners, particularly cat owners, should be aware that feeding any raw food or milk to their animals may result in infection with a disease that kills 70% of felines. Those kind enough to feed wild birds in winter should continue to do so, but with knowledge about the potential infectiousness of bird feeders and the feces found around them. It is best to find a way to feed these birds without touching anything. Forego handling feeders and simply distribute the birdseed by tossing or dumping it. People might want to be very cautious about what they may be tracking into their homes on their shoes. While this has not yet been revealed to be a cause of infection in domestic animals, it’s worth considering this as a possible avenue of transmission for this disease. Stray and outdoor cats that feed on wild birds are at increased risk of acquiring this disease which is so devastating to any infected feline. So consider the danger inherent in allowing possibly exposed cats to mix with indoor cats. Or consider limiting an indoor/outdoor cat’s roaming. Or possibly limit their outdoor activities to night, when they are less likely to encounter infected species of birds they consider prey.
Unfortunately, we’re going to see news stories about horrible zoo deaths every single day until these institutions act responsibly and isolate animals and observe precautionary rules to stop the spread of this panzootic.
I indicated in the brief article posted yesterday that I was fairly certain our animal agriculture (torture) was responsible for the emergence of this particular strain of avian influenza. You can visit the CDC and read the timeline and see that this virus was indeed a “by-product” of this industry and was able to spread like wildfire because genetic material from wild birds was introduced to turkeys on a poultry farm in 2020. The CDC timeline shows you the trek the virus took around the planet from there, acquiring the genetic material necessary to become infectious and deadly to so many species. The reason the media and people in general don’t really discuss this story as much as they should is because (for now) the virus is not widely disseminated in humans and rarely fatal in our species when it does infect us. Also, the virus is survivable for most cattle, horses and other high dollar “assets.” But it does kill billions of dollars of poultry “assets” so that “dollar grieving” is pretty much the only grieving done by the various food/torture industries. It’s this exact attitude that keeps delivering pandemics to us and will continue to do so.
