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Cammie · 2004-04-30, 22:32

I was reading the St. Augustine paper yesterday and I wanted to share this article with all of you!

'Funeral' held for chickens killed in bird flu outbreak

TOKYO -- Dressed in a black suit and tie, a man asked the roomful of mourners to bow their heads. For a minute, they stood and faced the brightly lit altar in silence.

On a stage, piled in a pyramid and surrounded by white daisies and lilies sat the dead: dozens of eggs in clear plastic cartons.

Arranged by the Agriculture Ministry and the poultry industry, Wednesday's solemn ceremony at a Tokyo hotel honored hundreds of thousands of chickens slaughtered since a deadly bird flu was discovered here in January.

"We want to express our regret to chickens for having to kill them, while also giving thanks to them for providing us with food," said Hideyuki Shimada, a director at the Japan Poultry Association. "I don't know how chickens feel about it, but humans should show appreciation."

The ceremony was nonreligious, though it featured an altar and flowers commonly found at religious funeral rites in Japan.

Mostly, it demonstrated a quirky side to the Japanese fondness for rituals and marked what poultry producers hope will be a steady recovery in chicken and egg sales.

Since emerging late last year, avian influenza has ravaged flocks across Asia and killed at least 24 people in Vietnam and Thailand.

To stem the disease, authorities destroyed about 100 million chickens, ducks and other birds and temporarily quarantined farmers.

No new infections have been reported for weeks.

Japan's outbreak was its first since 1925. After several poultry farms in western and southern Japan reported cases, the Agriculture Ministry ordered all farms in the area not to move their eggs and chickens and to monitor their flocks. Some 300,000 birds were destroyed.

While no humans fell ill in Japan, the bird flu outbreak spooked consumers and depressed chicken prices and sales. Schools banned poultry in lunches, despite assurances that it was safe to eat properly cooked meat and eggs of infected chickens.

This month, the government pronounced Japan free of bird flu.

mantidor · 2004-04-30, 22:37

that's so... weird, for lack of a better world

Dark Zero · 2004-04-30, 23:18

Why am I not surprised to see cammie as the thread starter for this? ::sigh:: So where's the roast chicken BBQ we can host now? Plenty of surplus from that article

Slade xTekno · 2004-04-30, 23:27

I think it is rather cool and benevolent that they held such a funeral.
I can't help but feel sorry for the chickens as they were slaughtered by the thousands for something they couldn't help [imagine that happening for humans [wait, it did happen. It was called the Halocaust]].

Wow. I guess the intelligence humans possess is balanced by a healthy sense of paranoia...

Dopeskills · 2004-04-30, 23:57

Seems kinda weird. The chickens don't get a funeral if they are slaughtered and eaten. But they do get a funeral if they are slaughtered and not eaten....

Roots · 2004-05-01, 00:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slade xTekno

I think it is rather cool and benevolent that they held such a funeral.
I can't help but feel sorry for the chickens as they were slaughtered by the thousands for something they couldn't help [imagine that happening for humans [wait, it did happen. It was called the Halocaust]].

Wow. I guess the intelligence humans possess is balanced by a healthy sense of paranoia...

I agree. It is nice to see human beings feeling regret for having to kill so many innocent chickens just to stop the infection. Though it may seem a little strange to people, I think its really cool that they would go out of their way to show appreciatation for the chickens.

Spiggy · 2004-05-01, 00:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopeskills

Seems kinda weird. The chickens don't get a funeral if they are slaughtered and eaten. But they do get a funeral if they are slaughtered and not eaten....

Maybe it has something to do with fulfilling a purpose. The ones that were eaten help complete the whole cycle of life while the ones that were slaughtered were just turned to charcoal w/o fulfilling their purpose. Idk....

RichMan · 2004-05-01, 00:56

I have no need to feel sorry for chickens. It's part of the food chain. Stronger animals eat weaker animals.

Humans(with assistance of weapons) = Top of Food Chain

Palani · 2004-05-01, 04:42

Humans are the the top of the food chain indeed. But does that gives us the right to kill anything that poses a threat to us without regret. I don't think so. Therefore the funeral is good think if you ask me ( I hear people thinking, did I do that?). It makes us stop for a moment and think about what we have done instead of moving on as if ending a lot of lives is nothing. But that's me. Looking forward to your ideas and motivations.

_Sin_ · 2004-05-01, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palani

Humans are the the top of the food chain indeed. But does that gives us the right to kill anything that poses a threat to us without regret. I don't think so. Therefore the funeral is good think if you ask me ( I hear people thinking, did I do that?). It makes us stop for a moment and think about what we have done instead of moving on as if ending a lot of lives is nothing. But that's me. Looking forward to your ideas and motivations.

It definitely does. It is in your interest to kill anything that might harm you if you can. Humans did that in the far past (millions of years ago when they fought to prevail in the harsh environment - you can thank them or else you and me would not live to type in this forum), and they should do this in the future. It would be ridiculous that humans should die just because they show mercy with the chickens, isn't it? It all boils down to assure your survival against threats you can defeat.

On topic: Well, what can I say? I don't understand why they would make a funeral for chickens. As I see the sense of funerals, funerals exist to show the relatives of the deceased that they cared for the deceased.

Now it would be funny if we could read the mind of a chicken who "attends" the funeral:"Oh my, the humans aren't so bad! Sure, they killed my conspecifics, but hey, at least they give them a funeral, go humans!"

So in conclusion: The funeral shows the conflict between our biological needs (survival) and our morals ("innocent chickens").

PS: I'm too lazy to put emoticons in the post, so if there are parts where you might be offended just pretend I put an emoticon there^^

And no, I'm actually a kind hearted person, but I tried to answer this as unemotionally as possible (and without spell/grammar checking too^^) so please refrain from flaming

Cammie · 2004-05-01, 17:27

When I first read this article I was laughing so hard.... then by reading some of your posts I felt kinda ashame of my first reaction. I really didn't see it that way at first.

I do think the whole funeral ceremony was a bit much in my opinion.

hobobaggins · 2004-05-01, 18:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cammie

When I first read this article I was laughing so hard.... then by reading some of your posts I felt kinda ashame of my first reaction. I really didn't see it that way at first.

I do think the whole funeral ceremony was a bit much in my opinion.

**hint hint**

http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...763#post183763

i think this belongs here.

only in japan

... ... i think it is rather touching that they would acknowledge the unnecessary deaths of so many chickens

Cammie · 2004-05-01, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobobaggins

**hint hint**

http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...763#post183763

i think this belongs here.

only in japan

... ... i think it is rather touching that they would acknowledge the unnecessary deaths of so many chickens

gomen...

If that the case... can a mod kindly move this thread there? thanks

2004-04-30, 22:32	Link #1
Cammie Smooth and Curvy... Join Date: Jun 2003	'Funeral' held for chickens I was reading the St. Augustine paper yesterday and I wanted to share this article with all of you! 'Funeral' held for chickens killed in bird flu outbreak TOKYO -- Dressed in a black suit and tie, a man asked the roomful of mourners to bow their heads. For a minute, they stood and faced the brightly lit altar in silence. On a stage, piled in a pyramid and surrounded by white daisies and lilies sat the dead: dozens of eggs in clear plastic cartons. Arranged by the Agriculture Ministry and the poultry industry, Wednesday's solemn ceremony at a Tokyo hotel honored hundreds of thousands of chickens slaughtered since a deadly bird flu was discovered here in January. "We want to express our regret to chickens for having to kill them, while also giving thanks to them for providing us with food," said Hideyuki Shimada, a director at the Japan Poultry Association. "I don't know how chickens feel about it, but humans should show appreciation." The ceremony was nonreligious, though it featured an altar and flowers commonly found at religious funeral rites in Japan. Mostly, it demonstrated a quirky side to the Japanese fondness for rituals and marked what poultry producers hope will be a steady recovery in chicken and egg sales. Since emerging late last year, avian influenza has ravaged flocks across Asia and killed at least 24 people in Vietnam and Thailand. To stem the disease, authorities destroyed about 100 million chickens, ducks and other birds and temporarily quarantined farmers. No new infections have been reported for weeks. Japan's outbreak was its first since 1925. After several poultry farms in western and southern Japan reported cases, the Agriculture Ministry ordered all farms in the area not to move their eggs and chickens and to monitor their flocks. Some 300,000 birds were destroyed. While no humans fell ill in Japan, the bird flu outbreak spooked consumers and depressed chicken prices and sales. Schools banned poultry in lunches, despite assurances that it was safe to eat properly cooked meat and eggs of infected chickens. This month, the government pronounced Japan free of bird flu.

2004-04-30, 22:37	Link #2
mantidor the Iniquitous Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: bogotá	that's so... weird, for lack of a better world

2004-04-30, 23:18	Link #3
Dark Zero ... Join Date: Nov 2003	Why am I not surprised to see cammie as the thread starter for this? ::sigh:: So where's the roast chicken BBQ we can host now? Plenty of surplus from that article

2004-04-30, 23:27	Link #4
Slade xTekno Tekkaman Blade! Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bakersfield, CA, USA, Age: 36	I think it is rather cool and benevolent that they held such a funeral. I can't help but feel sorry for the chickens as they were slaughtered by the thousands for something they couldn't help [imagine that happening for humans [wait, it did happen. It was called the Halocaust]]. Wow. I guess the intelligence humans possess is balanced by a healthy sense of paranoia...

2004-04-30, 23:57	Link #5
Dopeskills Thigh Master Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New Jersey, USA Age: 42	Seems kinda weird. The chickens don't get a funeral if they are slaughtered and eaten. But they do get a funeral if they are slaughtered and not eaten....

2004-05-01, 00:56	Link #8
RichMan ???? Join Date: Jan 2004	I have no need to feel sorry for chickens. It's part of the food chain. Stronger animals eat weaker animals. Humans(with assistance of weapons) = Top of Food Chain

2004-05-01, 04:42	Link #9
Palani ///_^ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mushroom County, Mario World Age: 36	Humans are the the top of the food chain indeed. But does that gives us the right to kill anything that poses a threat to us without regret. I don't think so. Therefore the funeral is good think if you ask me ( I hear people thinking, did I do that?). It makes us stop for a moment and think about what we have done instead of moving on as if ending a lot of lives is nothing. But that's me. Looking forward to your ideas and motivations.

2004-05-01, 17:27	Link #11
Cammie Smooth and Curvy... Join Date: Jun 2003	When I first read this article I was laughing so hard.... then by reading some of your posts I felt kinda ashame of my first reaction. I really didn't see it that way at first. I do think the whole funeral ceremony was a bit much in my opinion.