Belgium/20,000 birds gather at the WEX in Marche-en-Famenne for the 73rd World Ornithological Congress
For the past week, the 73rd World Bird Show has been taking place at the WEX in Marche-en-Famenne. This major event brings together 20,000 birds: colored canaries, posture canaries, exotic birds and native birds. The last time this event was held in Belgium was in Hasselt in 2013, and for Wallonia it was in Charleroi in 1996.
During the first week, various competitions were held to reward the best birds in each category. On Friday morning, at 9 o'clock, the show opened to the public. As early as 8 a.m., numerous buyers flocked to the WEX gates, cages in hand. Of the 20,000 birds gathered, half were there to take part in the competitions, the other half for sale.
RTBF Luxembourg was live from the WEX this Friday morning to talk about various aspects of the event: its importance for the sector, health regulations and ethical and animal welfare issues. Listen to the first live broadcast at 06:40 with event organizer Jean-Paul Boucher, President of the Belgian Bird Mondial, who talks about the importance of this event.
What sanitary arrangements?
20,000 birds gathered in the same place, under the same roof, in small cages packed side by side, all against a backdrop of avian flu, may seem like a risky gamble. The AFSCA gave the go-ahead for the event, subject to strict sanitary supervision. A dozen AFSCA agents are mobilized this weekend for the opening to the public. Veterinarians are checking the health status of the animals, as well as their documents. They also issue a compulsory European document: the zoo health certificate.
Listen to the second live broadcast at 07:20 with Aline Van Den Broeck, spokeswoman for the AFSCA. She explains the sanitary framework of this event.
"An event from another era
The World Bird Show is a major event, but it's also a divisive one. Bringing together 20,000 birds in small cages raises questions of ethics and animal welfare. While event organizer Jean-Paul Boucher insists that everything is being done to ensure animal welfare , "these domesticated birds have only ever been in cages, and they're fine in their aviaries. They couldn't survive in the wild". Nature and animal protection organizations such as the LRPO, the Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds, take a completely different view of this "old-fashioned" event . Mario Ninanne is president of the LRPO. He denounces several problems, including a stressful event for the animals. Listen to him in this third live broadcast at 07:50.
Source: www.rtbf.be/
