- Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:08 pm
#324655
*sigh*
I rehabilitated wild animals for an organization supported by the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife. Pigeons (adults, babies and juveniles) are one of the most loving of birds. The babies would actually come near our hands in their incubators. Not for warmth but for comfort. They would want to snuggle up against your hands. These "disease" comments are, like Cat suggested, a load of bollocks. Please see below. As stated in another thread, I'm cranky today from staying up all night w/a sick kid and I can't be bothered to do anything other than cut & paste>
The following are quotes from credible experts with the REAL FACTS about pigeons and public health:
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TV series segment, Healthier Living, shows how feeding wild pigeons helps relieve the stresses of day to day living.
"...diseases associated with [pigeons] present little risk to people..." Dr. Michael McNeil, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.
"One man's nuisance is another man's pleasure." "'People worry that pigeons carry disease,' but the danger is 'an exaggeration created by pest control companies looking for business.'" - Guy Hodge, Naturalist for the Humane Society of the United States.
"The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans." - Dr. Manuel Vargas, New York City Department of Health.
"Pigeons are not a public health hazard. Nobody in public health is losing any sleep over pigeons." - Dr. Joel McCullough, Medical Director, Environmental Health, Chicago Department of Public Health.
"[...the Arizona Department of Health Services does] not have any documented human cases of disease which have been definitively linked to outdoor pigeons or pigeon droppings. When cases of diseases are reported (and by law [certain bird related zoonoses are] reportable diseases), VBZD staff conduct complete investigations to confirm the diagnosis and identify the source of infection. …Our case investigation data gathered so far, would suggest that pigeons are not significant as a cause of human disease in Arizona."
“We don’t see pigeon-related-disease problems...” “I don’t think they’re seeing them anywhere..." - Bill Kottkamp, Supervisor, Vector Control, St. Louis County Health Department
"Pigeons do not get avian influenza and don't carry the virus," Dr. Cornelius Kiley, DVM, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Although pigeons have been shown to become infected with West Nile Virus, they do not act as reservoirs and therefore don't transmit the virus..." -Pennsylvania West Nile Virus Surveillance Program.
As a result, pigeons are generally no longer accepted for West Nile Virus testing by other government disease-surveillance agencies in the U.S and elsewhere.
“We do have some concern about the indiscriminate killing of pigeons.” “[For example, histoplasmosis disease rates are] misleading and irrelevant, because histo’s so ubiquitous. It’s in the soil, regardless of whether pigeons are around or not...”- Dr. Marshall Lyon, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta
“Problematic density [affecting human safety] is probably more determined by people getting their possessions defaced.” “I’m not terribly worried about pigeons.” - Dr. Alex Bermudez, University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine
"I am not aware of any reported cases of diseases that were transmitted by pigeons in Mohave County." - Larry Webert, R.S., Mohave County Environmental Health Division
Debunking Myths
Pigeons and other non-migratory birds have suffered from a program of misinformation led by "pest control" companies and biased media.
Myth: Pigeons spread disease.
Fact: There have been no documented cases of disease in people caused by wild or free-ranging pigeons (Humane Society of the United States). The public is at little or no health risk from pigeons (Cincinnati Environmental Advisory Council). There is no evidence that a person can contract the West Nile virus from handling live or dead infected birds. According to the National Institutes of Health, "One could not justify an eradication of pigeons for the sole purpose of protecting people from cryptotococcosis and histoplasmosis." Authorities concur that bird poisons pose more of a risk to human health than any bird droppings do.
Bird poisons should be banned everywhere because they are inhumane, indiscriminate to other species and obviously ineffective.
Did you know pigeons spread deadly disease to humans?
This myth is the most widespread urban legend about pigeons. Pest control companies have falsely put the blame on pigeons for histoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, psittacosis, cryptococcosis, salmonellosis, meningitis, tuberculosis, and encephalitis. In truth, most people have a better chance at being struck by lightening than contracting disease from pigeons.
Did you know all rats are dirty?
False, rats are actually very clean and groom themselves more than some cats. They also scavenge for water to wash their faces. And unlike cats, rats do not shed or cough up hairballs. But like our flip-flop clad feet on a hot NYC day, these little critters become black with street grime. City rats try their best, but staying clean in our filthy city is a challenge.
Did you know rats caused the plague?
When we think about the plague, we think of dirty, four-legged urban sewer dwellers who drink the blood of the innocent. The bubonic plague of the 1600s is mostly credited to rats. Yet, rats were merely the carriers of Xenopsylla cheopis—a flea. These fleas and the bacteria inside their stomachs are to blame for the plague; they’re the true blood-suckers, not the four-legged furries.
zoot about me wrote:You are our most famous person member, you're like our celeb!
chrismoyles.net
I can't be bothered to read all that. So I'll show off my sig instead 