Avian Reality Check by V. M. de Malar vmingoa at gmail.com
First, the good news. Goa's veteran birdman, Carl D'Silva, says "Goa has no reason to panic," even as a million chickens are slaughtered across the border in Maharashtra, poultry farm workers are hospitalized, and the country is paralyzed with fear about the potentially lethal H5N1 bird flu virus. Scientists still fear that it could mutate into a form that will be easily transmitted among humans, China, Russia, Europe and North America are on high alert, and now we have received dreaded confirmation; the virus is in India. Back to Carl, the Bombay Natural History Society veteran who trained under legendary Salim Ali, whose wonderfully detailed illustrations provide depth to classic publications like the OUP's 'Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. This ornithologist knows exactly what he's talking about, unlike our Minister for Animal Husbandry, the comically blithe Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco, who responded to news of the crisis with this statement; "not a single bird will be allowed to enter the state and strict check will kept on the borders to prevent their entry." Good luck with that, Mickky. Carl D'Silva says bird flu is unlikely to become a widespread problem in Goa; there are no large-scale poultry farms, with their filthy industrial –type conditions. The main threat, migratory birds, have little proximity to domestic flocks. He says "this virus has most likely been in India for some time, but there is not too much risk for us in Goa. The only threat is in the handling. If the fowl is thoroughly cleaned, and properly cooked, there's no real danger." He adds that what is needed is better co-operation between animal husbandry officials and the Forest department, since one scheme to trap migratory birds (and assess the virus situation) has stagnated for months due to lack of communication. None of this very valuable analysis will curb the panic of those involved in the tourism sector in Goa, because the current overheated scenario is now seriously at risk. We've been extraordinarily lucky the last few years, as terrorism in Bali drove thousands of foreigners our way, and the tsunami of 2004 confirmed Goa, albeit temporarily, as the best Asian option for a seaside vacation. That luck may be about to change, one confirmed bird flu case in Goa and we can wave goodbye to the next couple of years of growth. The charter tourist is a fickle bird of passage, who picks his holiday roost from dozens of identically priced, identically serviced, destinations. He will fly away in a second, given a hint of discomfort, let alone serious disease. Let's hope that what Goa has managed to slowly build up, with no help or direction from officialdom, does not get ruined overnight. Still, this avian influenza has potential to be a much-required reality check for the pestilential scourge of builders and real estate developers who are bent on the total destruction of our timeless landscape in the expectation of unending inflow. Theirs is a false premise, they have no understanding, respect, or regard for Goa's very real value, as a destination, culture, anything. And sadly, the worst offenders are our own people, the class of small-time hustlers who remain deadly intent on cashing in no matter the collateral cost, who will blanket our exquisite hillsides and palm groves with unimaginative, lowest common denominator, concrete monstrosities unless they are forcibly stopped. If the bird flu is here, if our tourism economy does finally falter after so many years of non-stop growth, let's use this period to regroup and come back in a more intelligent, more sustainable, more sensitive and better organized, fashion. Our tourism entrepreneurs need to realize, to properly internalize, the universal home truth that tourism demand is never permanent, never guaranteed. And that the kind of dumbed-down bargain business that so many are going for is particularly vulnerable to the vagaries of the marketplace, it is a short-sighted, brain-dead, model that has wrecked too many beautiful places around the world already. If there could possibly be an upside to something as scary as the avian flu, it lies here; let it be an airborne reality check for those who will engineer the future of Goan tourism. (ENDS) Goanet Reader articles can be found at: http://www.goanet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: VM is an early Goanetter, who put his money where his mouth is and returned to settle-down in Goa in late 2004, while in his thirties. VM regularly writes for the Goa and Mumbai media. GOANET READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the growing readership of Goanet and it's allied network of mailing lists. If you appreciate the above article, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. 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