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Oh, god, that is Just HEART BREAKING! ... but so very unfortunately true

Ive had people come up to me when I was walking with my B&G, josie. They were chewing me out for imprisoning my bird and telling me that I should be in prison for what Ive done and my bird should be flying free.So I ask them if they wanted to see this bird die. They told me no way. So I asked them ? How can a bird raised in captivity learn to eat and avoid preditors in the wild when they have never been taught. So I explained that macaws stay with there parents for 4 yr. so that they can be taught when and where the food is during all the seasons and how to avoid preditors. I also told them about the B&G that got loose 4 months ago. Have they seen it . They said no. So I told them it mosy likely dead. Then I said to them , If you took a child from New York city to the wilds of Alaskia do you think they would survive by themselves. Their are fools everywhere

Marky, People make me ill, Its what we do to assure they have best of life they can have, we didnt imprison them, others did we just provide and nurture best we can. Animals count way more than humans- I could live with out humans- not animals!

Marky, I am with you. Rescue & parrot rights are such a hot topic today that people are sometimes blinded by the politics of it all, and are unable and/or unwilling to address the facts. Domestic macaws & parrots are in a different class than wild ones. We can only do the best we can with our resources and abilities to give them the best life possible. It is impractical to think that we can release them outside here and that they will automatically have the skills to survive in an unnatural wild environment for them. Many of the domestically bred and raised birds cant even fly because their wings were clipped before they ever learned how to, so they never aquired those skills. And I seriously doubt that most could forage for food after being fed commericial mix in a dish, or would be comfortable perched in a tree with potential predators all around after living most of their life in the security of a cage. Don't let people intimidate you. Just tell them where to go.

I had to do just that woman wanted 1150.00 for an eclectus she just purchased last fiday- had it advertised on a re-homming site (craigslist) well when I told her babies go for 600-800 she threatned that us with 10 PET parrots was illegal and she wanted to see them all taken away from me- now this was brought on by me saying Im not paying pet store prices for someone who mad a comitment and changed their mind. I am now the evil zoo keeper- People totally suck and if you happen to urinate them off god knows what they will do- oh and for kickers her sig. line was------- christian!

ljhassell wrote: oh and for kickers her sig. line was------- christian!

Jiminey Cricket! What is with these people using Christianty as a business ploy? I'll bet it just tweeks Jesus's whiskers too!

Well to update- I called Local Animal Control to see if I needed permits or anything. Their reply was NO, Im fine and could have a 1000 birds in my home as long as cleaned and taken care of. Christian my butt, Our birds are always clean and well cared for.

Glad to have seen the video again! Truly a great tribute for all those parrots out there that have been neglected and abused... a plight for them for sure. I feel honored to have also shared a photo and talked with the person who created the video.

Mary Xmas wrote:

ljhassell wrote: oh and for kickers her sig. line was------- christian!

Jiminey Cricket! What is with these people using Christianty as a business ploy? I'll bet it just tweeks Jesus's whiskers too!

After viewing this video and of course reading the above quote my head is left to wonder where peoples hearts and minds really are?

The one part that really got to me was the pile of dead CAG's. But maybe or not the same reason it tugged at the heart strings in most of you.

Having served two tours in Yugoslavia and having personally viewed the piles of human bodies (which is where I got my deja vous) it is never easy to see man's inhumanity to man, neverless man's inhumanity to animals.

Another thing I doubt most of you don't even know is that while in Yugo we (the US Military) actually were on the side of the muslum's against the Catholic Christian's. It was the Catholic side who murdered and stacked these people in (simular to the video) rows and rows. I was shot by a sniper in my left hand while manning (50 cal) a security detachment while the proper burials were being conducted by the local Imam. I guess I could consider myself blessed that this Catholic sniper only chose to shot my hand and not through my head. Probably while he was looking at me in his scope he could see that around my neck "was my rosary" and attached to my neck was a "Class 3 relic of Fr Solanus Casey. Anyway I'm alive and lvie to tell this story.

Furthermore several things also struck me:
1) Most of the birds that are sick in the video could be cured with proper medical treatment. Goes to show you what tools are available to proper breeders in the USA.

2) Most likely this video was produced by the same (SPCA) folks who would like to enter your home and take your birds. More proof to stick together and police each other.

Ive been threatned- but they would have to take our birds over my dead cold body. Ive rehommed 5 this past week, getting down to 8 is a nice relief.

PurpleHeart wrote:Furthermore several things also struck me:
1) Most of the birds that are sick in the video could be cured with proper medical treatment. Goes to show you what tools are available to proper breeders in the USA.

2) Most likely this video was produced by the same (SPCA) folks who would like to enter your home and take your birds. More proof to stick together and police each other.

1) You are probably right, but it just goes to show the ignorance of people AROUND the world, not just in the states.

2) This video was made by someone who lives in Singapore, where it's not exactly uncommon to see parrots tied to a stand and that is exactly how they live their entire lives... not even uncommon to see a petstore with various birds outside, tied to stands.


Please, if you'd like to learn more about the video, you can do so here...
http://www.birdboard.com/forum/lounge/3 ... ideos.html

Or at least read these quotes...

yes...mistreatment is very prevalent with the shops, due in large part to the lax rules and regulations by the government on the trading of birds and their enforcement

However, on the flip side, I haven't come across anything as mass scale as parrots mill here
the one or two parrot breeding facilities I have came across in Singapore seem well maintained
they do export their parrots and Japan has quite a big market

what is more worrying is the illegal pet trade.
We are a small island just next to Indonesia and alot of Indonesian cockatoos and other parrots can be smuggled in...there have been cases where smugglers are caught but I suspect there's more than meets the eye

second hand birds are prevalent...people can give up birds rather easily because they have resale value

the tendency to chain parrots up or putting them in small cages are some of the malpractices that are common

finally...a purely seed diet and lack of toys

all these, some of us are trying hard to change people's perception
usually through a Singapore based forum and networking with people who keep parrots...to raise awareness and educate on their diet and needs, dangers of chaining parrots, etc.

I've been to a school to give a talk as well...we did it as a group, for the school's community development program

indonesian villagers and farmers have been living side by side cockatoos for a long long time
they keep them as pets, often chained to some stands, way before anyone of us thought about it
once in a while, they find a baby dropping out of nest, etc and these become tame pets
and can you believe it...they feed them their cooked home curries!
many of the indonesia trappers are poor...and they and their family's survival comes first before the animals or nature
its quite an intractable economic-environmental situation actually


most of the macaws in shops are chained...as do other large birds
or else they are confined to small cages
minimum space, maximum profits
I just hope over time, the standards will improve

many in the past think of parrots, including budgies and lovebirds only for viewing and appreciation
boy do they miss out the fun of tame lovies scuttling around out of their cages, playing with toys and hanging all around us
hehe

I think as we begin to understand these birds better, our care for them will improve
and the parrots seem to be happier and thriving better too!
and our relationship with them can only blossom

And for further proof of the birds being tied... here's another link...
http://www.birdboard.com/forum/lounge/3 ... -foot.html

Some birds are just lucky, and find great people in bad countries... while others treat the birds as possessions... I even remember someone from Singapore who owned a lory and a cockatoo... the lory died, so they gutted the bird and then posted pics of the remains...


To me, it's truly amazing just how different aviculture is around the world, but at the same time, it's completely disgusting on the "low end", no matter WHERE it is....

I think the differences around the world are remarcable as well.
Seeing this video just makes me wonder even more how people can keep handfed flightless birds without others of the same species, in small cages. 21*21 inches is supposed to be a "good size" for a Senegal. Bah!In many places that's a good way to keep birds, to me it's animal cruelty. But that's just my opinion.

Parrots shouldn't be kept in captivity, because most people, and by that i mean like 99% of them, don't know how to properly care fora parrot, and don't realize their *true* needs.
Some species, i beleive, could do very well in our homes presuming people understand them and give them what the parrots need.

Sure i have parrots my self, and that's why i think we shouldn't keep them. Before i had parrots my self i couldn't have realized how special creatures they are. I do now though, and what most "pet" parrot are put through every single day is just plain sad.

We should *not* release the parrots we keep as pets, that's just absurd. The breeding of them, however, should be supervised and scaled down, and i think permits to own parrots would be a good idea, to get the permit you'd have to be well educated and be able to provide a good environment fora parrot.

I have no clue how your laws and regulations for keeping parrots looks in the US, if you have any.

Sweden is considered one of the "best" countries when it come to animalprotection laws etc, and it's getting better all the time. They can improve *alot* though.

Great movie, regards to the person that made it!

I agree with you on every point, Steph. Surprise! We don't even require parenting classes for humans, so regulating the "ownership" of birds is way out there in dreamland. All attempts to regulate breeding are hard, HARD fought by the associations of breeders.

For awhile I took heart in thinking that the ranks of breeders would thin out as older ones retired -- or died of overwork. But scanning the ad titles here on UAS is sickening. Vast hordes of new-generation breeders who make no pretense of caring beans about the birds. Just stock to move out so there's room for more.

Tragically, it's the caring breeders who leave fastest because they realize what a losing racket it is. It's impossible to make a profit and still provide any vet care without producing in such large numbers that the work kills the human breeder and leaves the breeder birds' needs badly neglected in most cases. Producing in large numbers ensures that countless babies will go to early deaths in homes of bird-ignorant people. Those lucky enough to survive a year or two get abandoned, bouncing to an average of 5-7 homes in their lifetimes.

It's a wickedly sad situation with no easy answers to a decent fix. I think the best answer -- won't happen in my lifetime even if I lived to be 200 -- would be a tax on breeders based on the number of eggs laid. Not live hatchlings because that would inspire the greediest breeders to kill chicks, but based on eggs to reduce the amount of breeding the parrots are subjected to. The tax proceeds should go to fund the shelters and rehoming organizations that the breeders' greed gives rise to nationwide.

Have a good day despite! Paca

It's a dreamland, indeed.
Most good things we have today however started out as just dreams.
There are so many dedicated people that work hard for the sake of PArrots in the US, Sweden, and alot of other countries. With hard work, we'll be able to make a difference in time. I'm sure of that. It will howevere take alot of time.

Those breeders are fiesty, i hear ya on that!
When the regulations here were being modified, the breeders worked *hard* on handfeeding not being banned. That would be like dollarsigns flying by their eyes. And, they succeded. The President of the Swedish bird association was also working on alot of things that would profit birds in the hobby/pet trade. He was the swedish contact for WPT amungst other things. The breeders didn't like this. If handfeeding was banned they wouldn't make nearly as much money, etc. So they teamed up and voted against him at the next board selection. Now the club is more of a "Pet bird club" instead of a club that exist for spreading knowledge about these wonderful creatures. I find it sad that there really isn't any clubs that exists for the birds sake, it's more of a thing for owners to show off and talk about how tame and cuddly their birds are.