Baby birds, seen on May 15, are huge part of...

Baby birds, seen on May 15, are huge part of rescues conducted by Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, traditional animal shelters and wildlife rescue groups are not the only organizations overwhelmed [“Fielding calls of the wild,” News, May 20].

With factory farms “depopulating” birds raised for meat and suburbanites regretting “panic-buying” chicks like they did toilet paper, the niche world of domestic fowl rescue is inundated. Some callers cite an egg shortage for their ill-advised acquisitions, having not realized that chicks or ducklings won’t be mature enough to lay eggs for six months after purchase. Others say they thought baby birds would break the monotony of self-isolation but are now going back to work. Still more say they ordered hens, not roosters, in the mail and the result of their unfortunate gender reveal leaves them in violation of municipal code.

What factory farms and suburbanites alike fail to recognize is that domestic fowl are not ours to eat and they are not surplus merchandise to be disposed of like trash. Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, including COVID-19, have stemmed from capturing wild animals or farming domesticated ones for food, so we’d be wise to help both birds and ourselves by giving vegan a try.

John Di Leonardo,

Malverne

Editor’s note: The writer is an anthrozoologist and the president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION), an animal advocacy organization and domestic fowl rescue.

School movies can provide benefits

Sadly, Lane Filler is on the money with his critique of activities that are typical during the last week of school — mostly [“School always ends before it’s over,” Opinion, May 20]. Schools and their policy-setting bodies are vulnerable to criticism if they allow or look the other way while “Ghostbuster”-type movies are used to babysit students.

Schools, however, serve the valuable purpose of functioning as socializing agencies for our children and youth. The school’s social environment is educative. No less a figure than the educator and philosopher John Dewey asserted long ago that “education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.”

Many movies based on award-winning children’s literature can be enriching and worthwhile during end-of-term school days. Depending on age and grade level, a case can be made for movies such as E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web,” Lois Lowry’s “Number the Stars” and even William Steig’s “Shrek,” to mention a few. And they can serve as bases for comparison and rewards for having read the material during the school year. As for administrative half-days and the like, well, that’s another matter.

Victor Caliman,

South Huntington

All cyclists should wear helmets

As I showed the May 21 exploreLI cover [“Foodie road trips!”] to my 2-year-old granddaughter, Maddy, she remarked, “Look, Grandpa, no helmet.” None of the three adults in the illustration, riding a scooter, bicycle and motor scooter, is wearing protective headgear. If a 2-year-old noticed this error, why didn’t Newsday? Recreating adults and children should wear helmets and other safety equipment.

Andy Aaron,

Port Washington

If I’m helping you, please also help me

Wearing a face mask seems to be a current source of angst among otherwise peaceable Americans, causing some to take drastic action when asked to take a small step to provide others with a modicum of safety against the spread of COVID-19.

I guess I’m a compliant person, an old nurse and a senior who doesn’t get the drama about this issue. I wear my mask to protect you. Why can’t you do the same for me? No other agenda, just one American helping another.

Joan Nelson,

Ridge

Pay baseball players for taking risk

The letter “Baseball players: Fans are struggling” [May 19] said that the Major League Baseball “players association’s lack of empathy for the financially struggling fan is reprehensible.”

As a fan for more than 60 years, I miss baseball as much as anyone. However, I understand the risk that players (and many others) would take on if baseball were to be played this year, even without fans present.

Shouldn’t ballplayers’ pay take into account that they would be placing the health and lives of themselves and their families in danger every time they enter a ballpark, a locker room or a hotel? Neither owners nor fans are being asked to take such chances. Ballplayers work hard so they can spend a small part of their lives in the major leagues. Are we being fair if we expect them to take on extraordinary health risks and cede more of a piece of the pie to baseball’s owners?

Howard Herman,

Great Neck

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