Question:
Paul) writes: <quoting from PETA factsheet #16)> >CAPTURED OR CAPTIVE-BRED BIRDS >Professor Irene Pepperberg took Alex, a grey parrot who has learned to >use many words and phrases in their proper context, to a veterinary >hospital for a lung operation. When she turned to leave without him, >he called out, "Come here. I love you. I’m sorry. I wan to go back." >He thought he had done something wrong and was being abandoned. > Because birds can rarely communicate their intelligence and >feelings to humans as Alex can, they suffer terribly at human hands.
Lots of parrot owners know of Alex and his impressive use of "human" speech to communicate with us. In the above, Alex is ostensibly apprehensive, even scared, while he was hospitalized for surgery. PETA uses the above quote to lead off their "factsheet" which singularly denounces pet bird ownership. Alex is scared while in the hospital, so all pet birds "suffer terribly at human hands." Seems like a VERY poorly constructed argument to me! PETA never really attempted further proof of their conclusion, never spoke of any references or studies to back up their claims; apparently the reader of "factsheet #16" is expected to accept PETA’s statements as fact without question. Sure, some of the later stuff in factsheet #16 may be worthwhile information, but a "factsheet" that begins with such a broad leap to conclusion is not one that i can trust for anything. PS: Alex, if you’re reading this (or if someone is reading this to you), i hope you’re feeling much better now! —
Response:
i would like to add that the statements that i made do not pertain to cockatiel, budgie or peach-faced lovebird breeders. i am referring to breeders of those parrot species that have not been domestically produced for many generations. — Deborah Wisti-Peterson Department of Zoology, NJ-15, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
Response:
[some stuff removed to save space] >BREEDING FOR PROFIT >Just as there are puppy mills, there are bird factories, where breeders >warehouse hundreds or thousands of birds so they can produce offspring. >Breeders sell some parrots for $500 to $5,000 each. > As a "breeder" a bird is a commodity, placed with a "mate" to >reproduce, and seldom, if ever, removed from the nest box. Birds do not
this statement makes it sound almost as though parrot hens are virtually imprisoned in the nest box. this is not possible because parrot hens generally will not eat when she is sitting in the nest box unless her mate feeds her. if her mate can enter the nest box to feed her, surely she could also leave by the same route? additionally, the hen will not soil the nest box, so she often leaves the nest box several times a day to defecate, drink water or take a bath, and to eat. >have to be kept in healthy, hygienic conditions or fed high-quality food >to produce eggs, since typically the eggs are removed and >incubator-hatched and the babies handfed special formulas. Also, egg
this practice is not used by all breeders. incubator-hatching of eggs is notoriously inefficient and the hatch rate for fertile eggs is quite low…i have talked with breeders that have achieved hatch rates of 50-65% over the course of an average season. most profitable breeders do not use artificial incubation, except as a last resort (i.e; the hen refuses to set on her eggs, etc.) >removal is a signal for the female to produce another egg, and another, >and another…which can eventually deplete her health.
parrots are not chickens. even though they will lay "replacement clutches" they do not lay an egg every day for the rest of their short and miserable lives, like chickens do. > Even in less profit-oriented enterprises, most birds live out their >lives in small cages surrounded by the frightening sounds of many other >birds who are unfamiliar to them. > A bird who cannot choose his or her mate may become depressed, >especially if separated from a previous partner. Birds in captivity are >often forced to take numerous mates, and, since most nest boxes offer no
this is definitely untrue. it takes too much time for a parrot to build a pair bond with a male that she does like…at least a year and often longer than that…this costs the breeder money and time. >means for escape, females who refuse sexual advances can be injured or >killed by frustrated males.
this happens with certain species of cockatoos and is not a typical event with all parrot species (in fact, there are several parrot species where the female is the dominant member of the pair). >ENSLAVED AND STRESSED. >In the wild, these beautiful beings are never alone, and if separated for >only a moment, they call wildly to their flockmates. Flock-oriented, >they preen eachother, fly together, play, and share egg incubation >duties. Many species of birds mate for life and share parenting tasks. >Most birds will not take a second mate in the wild if their first is lost.
it is true that 90%+ species of birds are monogamous but they do take another mate if their first one dies. parrots are monogamous birds, but they also will take another mate if their original mate dies. in addition, monogamous species of birds have been known to "divorce" if they have been unsuccessful in a breeding attempt, particularly if they have had several nesting failures in one season. what purpose would it serve a parrot (or other bird) to never reproduce itself again if its mate dies? that statement makes absolutely no sense at all. >—End of part I—- >Ellen Paul >Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology >University of Maryland
– Deborah Wisti-Peterson Department of Zoology, NJ-15, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
Response:
OK, Denise and Ellen from Denver have thought it over and are well-versed in PETA’s philosophy and have made their decisions and I respect them for that. However, for those of you who DON’T know PETA’s philosophy AS IT APPLIES TO BIRDS, I am going to quote their factsheet #16 verbatim. No comments, no snips. It will probably take more than one post to to this, and I hope everyone will take the time to read it. CAPTURED OR CAPTIVE-BRED BIRDS Professor Irene Pepperberg took Alex, a grey parrot who has learned to use many words and phrases in their proper context, to a veterinary hospital for a lung operation. When she turned to leave without him, he called out, "Come here. I love you. I’m sorry. I wan to go back." He thought he had done something wrong and was being abandoned. Because birds can rarely communicate their intelligence and feelings to humans as Alex can, they suffer terribly at human hands. Birds are meant to fly and be with others of their own kind in a natural environment. Confinement causes birds to have temper tantrums and mood swings. Birds can also be mischievous and highly destructive. They sometimes chew carpet as if digging to China, as well as electrical and phone wires and practically any other material in your home. It is no their fault that they do not make good house companions. "Punishing" them only increases their frustration and makes them more unruly. Anyone who already has a bird or birds must learn what birds need to be more clam and contented, as discussed later in this factsheet. BREEDING FOR PROFIT Just as there are puppy mills, there are bird factories, where breeders warehouse hundreds or thousands of birds so they can produce offspring. Breeders sell some parrots for $500 to $5,000 each. As a "breeder" a bird is a commodity, placed with a "mate" to reproduce, and seldom, if ever, removed from the nest box. Birds do not have to be kept in healthy, hygienic conditions or fed high-quality food to produce eggs, since typically the eggs are removed and incubator-hatched and the babies handfed special formulas. Also, egg removal is a signal for the female to produce another egg, and another, and another…which can eventually deplete her health. Even in less profit-oriented enterprises, most birds live out their lives in small cages surrounded by the frightening sounds of many other birds who are unfamiliar to them. A bird who cannot choose his or her mate may become depressed, especially if separated from a previous partner. Birds in captivity are often forced to take numerous mates, and, since most nest boxes offer no means for escape, females who refuse sexual advances can be injured or killed by frustrated males. ENSLAVED AND STRESSED. In the wild, these beautiful beings are never alone, and if separated for only a moment, they call wildly to their flockmates. Flock-oriented, they preen eachother, fly together, play, and share egg incubation duties. Many species of birds mate for life and share parenting tasks. Most birds will not take a second mate in the wild if their first is lost. Remember, there is no such animal as a "cage bird." All birds are either captured or captive-bred. No bird was born to be in a cage. Hand-raised as well as wild-caught birds often become neurotic, pulling out their feathers and self-mutilating sometimes to the point of death. When ready to breed, many species naturally pluck some feathers to prepare for nest building and egg-sitting, but when humans interfere with their natural behavior and disrupt biological and instintual cycles by imprisoning birds, plucking becomes a destructive, stereotypical compulsion. Stress is an everyday experience for captive birds – they are not domesticated animals. Hand-raised birds crave attention and companionship and do not like to let their human companions out of their sight. They don’t understand the separations when you go to work, or worse, on vacation- birds pine, grieve, and can even die of heartbreak. Birds imported from the wild are often frightened and easily excited. A person nipped by a birds may never want to handle him or her again and condemn the bird to live imprisoned alone in a cage forever. —End of part I—- Ellen Paul Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology University of Maryland
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