Going in for the Cull

What do the following stories have in common?

Miracle on the Hudson

60,000 Turkeys Culled in BC

Food Bank Donations Way Down

Here's a hint:

Miracle on the Hudson -- Bird strike thought to be the culprit.
60,000 Turkeys culled -- Due to Threat of Avian flu.

We have, in Canadian cities, a classic case of a problem becoming a solution. But is the Canadian psyche ready to seriously consider it?

The Canada goose!

Early reports suggested that the Canada goose may have brought down the Airbus A320 -- a plane able to survive impacts with smaller birds.

If 60,000 domesticated turkeys pose a risk of Avian Flu transmission, (despite the fact that they are not mobile and are restricted to decidedly rural areas), what risk do the clouds of wild Canada Geese that crowd our cities pose? They have none of the limitations of movement that domesticated birds have, and (worse) they can congregate in densely populated areas.

If the true fear is that H5N1 Avian Flu is transmitted to the human population, should this not be a concern? In Ottawa, alone, some of the parks are often unfit for use -- Andrew Haydon Park, for example -- due to the tremendous quantity of droppings left by the geese.

A quick visit to the CDC page on Avian Influenza shows that it is transmitted by "...direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or H5N1-contaminated surfaces." The virus is carried in "their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces."

It doesn't require much imagination to see how a large, mobile population of waterfowl in a major population center, gathering in (and fouling) a shared space that people use for recreation could quickly become a problem if Avian Flu were to cross into the goose population.

The Food bank, naturally, enters into this in two ways.

1) A problem.
With the culling of Turkeys, basic economics will tell you that the costs of the meat will rise. Thus, the ability of the food bank to purchase quality food will be affected. Not welcome news in this period of layoffs and uncertainty.

2) The solution!
We begin to cull the numbers of the bird populations to more limited numbers, and use the meat (perhaps even the feathers) to supply organizations that support the most needy in our society.

Everybody wins!

And maybe the next time you fly, you won't have to cross paths with a flock of them.