Flu Scare

Avian flu is hell on chickens and other domestic poultry but does it spell doom for wild birds? Not likely, say conservation biologists. A bigger threat to bird species may be overreaction by scared humans under the misapprehension that migratory fowl are bringing the plague.

So far, no bird carrying A(H5N1) -- the deadly strain of the avian flu -- has been found in the Americas, but the New York Times reports that in Maine, state epidemiologists are fielding calls from Maineiacs wondering whether they should be shotgunning the Canada geese in the backyard.

For anyone curious to know more about how the epidemic works, the Times article offers a good synopsis.