When word first broke that the remarkable Hudson River emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 was caused by a flock of Canadian geese, two thoughts immediately occurred.
One – Somehow PETA would focus more on the agony of the geese that were sucked into both of the plane’s jet engines than the safety of the 150 passengers and five crew members, perhaps even suing US Air and hero pilot Chesley B. “Sully†Sullenberger for animal cruelty.
And Two – Somehow, somewhere, global warming would be blamed.
Well — no word yet from the animal advocates.
But their fellow greenies in the climate alarm department didn’t disappoint.
A piece in yesterday’s Time (hat tip: MM), cited a June report from the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transportation and Fish and Wildlife Service finding that “the number of bird strikes has quadrupled, from 1,759 in 1990 to a record 7,666 in 2007.†Here’s one of the possible causes for the potentially deadly jet engine stalling phenomenon, according to Time: [emphasis mine]
“While officials use radar and radio collars to track bird populations, habitat destruction and climate change have disrupted migratory patterns. Moreover, the populations of certain species of birds are increasing at rapid rates, thanks to changes in food supply. The Canada-goose population, for example, has grown 7.3% annually from 1980 to 2006.â€ÂÂ
Outstanding.
Perhaps after PETA figures out what to do about the freezing iguanas falling from trees in ice-cold Florida, we’ll hear the geese’s side of the story.
