Sally Furniss
New member
Bird sellers rejoice as bird flu fades
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\03\20\story_20-3-2007_pg11_12
RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi?s bird sellers are smiling once again following the end of the recent bird flu scare with their brightly coloured finches and parrots now chirping louder than ever.
Nearly a month after the flu forced the closure of Islamabad?s Marghazar Zoo for almost a week, shop owners at the market next to College Road heaved a sigh of relief. They weren?t afraid that their birds would die, their concern was that business comes to a virtual halt each time the flu strikes. Sheikh Nadeem and Muhammad Imran concede that there were days during that period when no customer walked into their shops.
?We suffer with every bird flu scare and have to convince whatever few customers come in that our birds are not affected,? says Nadeem, whose small shop has hundreds of parakeets, doves and finches.
?Ours is a risky business, one day you have a stock of 100 and the following morning you might be left with only half of that ? death cannot be ruled out,? he says. But he points out that chicks and peacocks in the market were regularly vaccinated while other species of birds were made to drink vitamins to keep them healthy.
The Bird Market has a culture of its own. The competition between the 20 odd sellers is cutthroat and surviving in such a competitive environment is tough. Some of the shopkeepers are reported to create hurdles for others in order to further their own business.
Imran says such tactics do not get one far. ?Allah has reserved everything for everyone, so indulging in foul play does no good,? he says.
The market though is not all about parrots and parakeets. It has on offer aquarium fish, rabbits, turkeys and even peacocks. Buyers come from every strata of society. ?We get rich customers as well as those who can only spare a few hundred rupees,? says Nadeem who has had a passion for birds since he was a child.
?My love for birds was such that I was often scolded by my parents who wanted me to concentrate on my studies, but here I am today doing what I have always loved,? says Nadeem.
Also a breeder, he says the business of bird selling varied from day to day. ?Then we have the bird flu scares in between that we have begun to dread, but our faith in Allah keeps us going.?
Indeed, like any other business, hazards exist at each step but as long as their birds keep singing and customers continue to stream in, sellers will stay happy.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\03\20\story_20-3-2007_pg11_12
RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi?s bird sellers are smiling once again following the end of the recent bird flu scare with their brightly coloured finches and parrots now chirping louder than ever.
Nearly a month after the flu forced the closure of Islamabad?s Marghazar Zoo for almost a week, shop owners at the market next to College Road heaved a sigh of relief. They weren?t afraid that their birds would die, their concern was that business comes to a virtual halt each time the flu strikes. Sheikh Nadeem and Muhammad Imran concede that there were days during that period when no customer walked into their shops.
?We suffer with every bird flu scare and have to convince whatever few customers come in that our birds are not affected,? says Nadeem, whose small shop has hundreds of parakeets, doves and finches.
?Ours is a risky business, one day you have a stock of 100 and the following morning you might be left with only half of that ? death cannot be ruled out,? he says. But he points out that chicks and peacocks in the market were regularly vaccinated while other species of birds were made to drink vitamins to keep them healthy.
The Bird Market has a culture of its own. The competition between the 20 odd sellers is cutthroat and surviving in such a competitive environment is tough. Some of the shopkeepers are reported to create hurdles for others in order to further their own business.
Imran says such tactics do not get one far. ?Allah has reserved everything for everyone, so indulging in foul play does no good,? he says.
The market though is not all about parrots and parakeets. It has on offer aquarium fish, rabbits, turkeys and even peacocks. Buyers come from every strata of society. ?We get rich customers as well as those who can only spare a few hundred rupees,? says Nadeem who has had a passion for birds since he was a child.
?My love for birds was such that I was often scolded by my parents who wanted me to concentrate on my studies, but here I am today doing what I have always loved,? says Nadeem.
Also a breeder, he says the business of bird selling varied from day to day. ?Then we have the bird flu scares in between that we have begun to dread, but our faith in Allah keeps us going.?
Indeed, like any other business, hazards exist at each step but as long as their birds keep singing and customers continue to stream in, sellers will stay happy.