Food For Thought

When passing through Creek Park during a mid-day break I was rather surprised to see a labourer sharing his meal with a bunch of back-headed gulls.

In the park the gulls often mob school kids and snatch food from them or eat the tidbits thrown by the children.

After seeing the gulls close to within two metres of his feet the labourer felt obliged to tear off a piece of his bread and throw it towards one. The gulls rushed to fetch it.

Seeing the hungry gulls the man used half of his food to feed them.

Dubai’s birds often visit public parks and loiter around school compounds to gather food thrown by people.

But should we entertain stray and migratory birds with food or not?

Local pigeons and sparrows carry certain common diseases, like salmonella, E. coli and others, that are often harmful to us.

The situation has been further compounded by the recent outbreak of deadly bird flu virus.

Although there is no trace of this disease in the UAE it is better to avoid contact with birds that range free.

However, this should not scare away bird lovers who keep birds as pets. They should only take care that their pets do not come in contact with stray, feral or wild birds.