ACT Government takes up pigeon jabbing

bikhet said :

Do we know that it’s currently limited to hobby flocks? If it’s in the wild already your argument falls apart.

Wow, hold it tiger. And everyone else.

Let’s get some fact straight.

Influenza in birds is a threat to humans, because of their (usually) highly pathogenic nature.
Those flu, combined with a human influenza from the owner of these pigeon, can mutate in to something that can become a pandemic.

Treating them before it has a chance to become a real threat to the human population is what this taxpayer funded vaccination is all about.

However, while we’re at it can we please also vaccinate the crap out of the pigeon owners?

Demosthenes said :

Um is this a joke?? I can understand tax payers funding protection of NATIVE wildlife, but non native?? Aren’t feral pigeons a huge pest?? Magpies / Cockatoos sure… but this? Yay, more that I have to fork out for that I never agreed to.. And the government cries poor.. go figure.. What people keep as pets is their choice, but not our responsibility to fund?

Because Avian Paramyxovirus does not concern itself with the boundaries between native and introduced species…

Um is this a joke?? I can understand tax payers funding protection of NATIVE wildlife, but non native?? Aren’t feral pigeons a huge pest?? Magpies / Cockatoos sure… but this? Yay, more that I have to fork out for that I never agreed to.. And the government cries poor.. go figure.. What people keep as pets is their choice, but not our responsibility to fund?

Starrie said :

HenryBG said :

Yes, why am I paying for this?

*you* want to keep pigeons, *you* pay the vet bills.

It can be passed on to the wild population and passed to humans, so it easier to vaccinate the tame population than to ensure no humans have any contact with the wild population.

Or should it be: *you* want to walk through the city, *you* pay the eradication, vet and doctor’s bills

“It can be passed on to humans”. Yeah, I think I saw the same movie you did – only I realised it was science fiction, and you thought it was a documentary.

And how do you think it gets into the tame pigeons? *From* humans, I suppose?

Starrie said :

It can be passed on to the wild population and passed to humans, so it easier to vaccinate the tame population than to ensure no humans have any contact with the wild population.

Or should it be: *you* want to walk through the city, *you* pay the eradication, vet and doctor’s bills

Do we know that it’s currently limited to hobby flocks? If it’s in the wild already your argument falls apart.

HenryBG said :

Yes, why am I paying for this?

*you* want to keep pigeons, *you* pay the vet bills.

It can be passed on to the wild population and passed to humans, so it easier to vaccinate the tame population than to ensure no humans have any contact with the wild population.

Or should it be: *you* want to walk through the city, *you* pay the eradication, vet and doctor’s bills

Agreed also. What a crazy waste of money at a time our government is crying poor. Really bad judgement, here, TAMS.

Yes, why am I paying for this?

*you* want to keep pigeons, *you* pay the vet bills.

Jeez, if people want to keep winged rats that’s up to them. I do, though, strongly object to paying for vaccinating them. Has this government decided that the budget had a surplus all of a sudden?