Dutch bird hobbyists, who keep chickens, geese and ducks as pets, are giving their birds to local petting zoos and children’s farms out of fear of bird flu. Many pet owners do not have the resources to shelter their birds indoors, as is required by law in Holland from last Monday.
At farms and petting zoos in cities like the Hague, Apeldoorn and Leideschendam, the pet birds have been tossed into the yard by their owners.
Jan Wolleswinkel, president of the Dutch Organization for Poultry Farmers (NOP), warns that birds which have been vaccinated against the bird flu may still be culled in case the virus breaks out in their neighborhood.
