10/23/05 A Bird Massacre as "Euthanasia!"
In last 24 hours the Animal Friends received numerous phone calls and e-mails of citizens referring to the terrible way of bird euthanasia in the circle of 3 kilometers around where the bird virus started in Croatia
Even though the bird flu virus in general does not infect humans but the wild birds are the ones who carry it, there were actions of the mass killing of healthy animals in Croatia for "preventive purposes."
Namely, having the excuse this was the only way to prevent a bird flu epidemic, ten Croatian villages of the municipals of Zdenka and Durdenovac practiced so-called euthanasia of birds in homesteads. Even though the Minister of agriculture, forestry and water management, Mr Petar Cobankovic, said that it wasn't registered any case of virus among poultry yet, the Veterinary Administration pointed out that euthanasia is "prescribed by the Animal Welfare Act of Republic of Croatia and the European Union legislation, and the only effective way to fight the bird flu is interrupt the connection of the source of the disease and local poultry."
BLOODY SUNDAY
According to the Animal Welfare Act, "euthanasia means the painless mercy killing performed by special means." Only on Sunday, in one thousand villages 10,000 birds were killed by breaking their necks. It is a shame to call this mass violence and killing of innocent animals, without appliance of any anesthetics or daze, euthanasia.
Animals raised for food are victims of human greed for meet and, therefore, are held in terrible conditions suitable for the breaking of infectious disease, whilst later they are killed in order to 'prevent' the very same disease caused by human wantonness.
The only cause of the bird flue is man himself. Playing with nature and putting animals in horrible conditions of factory farming, he lost control and now, for his own safety, started the mass killing of healthy animals. Instead of taking preventive measures for the possible bird flu on time, protecting the animals and thus preventing the health of animals and humans, Croatia opted for the mass killing which it shamelessly calls euthanasia.
The price for taking care for human health, which humans jeopardize with bad treatment of animals, shouldn't be the loss of humanity and respect for the living creatures who can feel pain and suffer.
