No way to report dead birds
On Tuesday last week, I took a walk from Taipei’s Qilian toward New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), as I have many times before. Just before reaching Guandu Temple (關渡宮) I saw, at the riverside of the cycling and pedestrian path, a dead pigeon.
I thought that to be strange. I had never seen a dead bird on my walk before.
Some time later, just before the path splits into a branch that goes along the river and another that goes to the Zhuwei MRT station, I saw the remains of a fledgling.
I kept walking toward Hongshulin along the riverside path.
It might be more than a coincidence.
At Hongshulin I found the path closed so I turned back to Zhuwei along the path close to the MRT tracks. About 100m later I almost stepped on the carcass of a medium-sized bird.
When I got back home it was almost 6pm. I tried to communicate with both the Ministry of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but neither Web site seems to have a way of informing them of the situation, though both are willing to provide information on the avian flu.
I telephoned them, but my calls went unanswered after office hours; I guess no emergencies ever arise in Taiwan between 5:30pm and 9am.
The CDC has a Line account, but it turns out you cannot communicate with them.
So how does one report three unusual sightings of dead birds in an area in which there is supposed to be active surveillance for signs of avian flu?
Emilio Venezian
New Taipei City
Ban Chinese planes
If China places bans on airlines refusing to designate Taiwan as part of China, it would be appropriate for nations so threatened to place total bans on all Chinese airlines entering their airspace.
This would be a salutary lesson for Beijing and its bullying.
Gavan Duffy
Queensland, Australia
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