Avian Welfare Issues and the Captive Grey
The ear-splitting calls of the macaws were what hit me first as I pushed open the purple door to the old farmhouse. Inside, cockatoos, macaws, conures, amazons, timneh greys, and a handful of other parrots greeted me. Birds filled each room of the home, some in large enclosures and some free-flighted. Many occupied the two-story barn attached by a breeze-way (also filled with parrots). Birds flew overhead, landing on nearby branches, preening each other, nibbling on fresh fruit, and generally enjoying their home. What struck me most was that all of these 200-250 birds had at one time or another been unwanted. I was in an avian rescue facility. My first visit was eye-opening and quite the wake-up call.
I knew there were problems being faced by our feathered friends, here and there, mostly at pet shops. We've all walked into those shops to look at the birds and seen the ratty feathers, the seed-only diets, the dirty water and feces-caked cage bars. But there are so many other problems, mostly hidden from public view. It was only about a year ago that I began to realize what problems our feathered companions face by living in captivity!
My Introduction to Parrot Welfare
After purchasing my grey, now 2 years old, from a breeder, I began to reach out to other "bird people" on the internet with many "new bird mom" questions. Eventually I connected with people involved in the world of avian welfare and rescue. I heard of a situation involving a military macaw, being housed in a woefully inadequate cage in the bar area of a hotel, used only as decoration and entertainment for the patrons. I was outraged! I had no experience with macaws, but as I got to know my intelligent, emotional, and very sentient african grey, I knew that this bird must be suffering. I began to network with others interested and involved in parrot rescue and welfare work, engaging in letter-writing campaigns, composing fact-sheets for pet shops and articles for bird clubs on proper parrot care and welfare issues. I created an email list and web site (www.avianprotectionsociety.org) dedicated to parrot rescue issues. Eventually, I made a trip out to one of the largest avian rescue organizations, Foster Parrots (www.fosterparrots.org). Once I had seen and met the 250 or so cast-offs of the pet trade, I knew that the problem facing captive exotic birds was much more than I had imagined. I joined forces with the Avian Welfare Coalition (www.avianwelfare.com) and am now trying to tackle the larger issue of parrot overpopulation, all in my "spare time" (while I'm not working full time and caring for my Grey and two Cockatiels!).
What are The Problems?
Sadly, there are many people in the bird world who deny there is any problem other than there being a few misguided parrot owners in the world. Obvious to anyone familiar with parrot welfare issues, it is much more than that.
Tom Roudybush, a leading bird food manufacturer, summed up the problem well, stating,
"Some of these [rescue] facilities adopt out their birds, while others intend to keep the birds they house for the rest of their lives. Either way, there is unlikely to be enough capacity to handle the large number of unwanted birds that we will see in the future. We are rapidly getting to the point reached with dogs and cats, where thousands of animals are killed daily for lack of a better way to deal with unwanted pets." (Davids, Angela. "A Look at Aviculture Yesterday and Today." Bird Talk. Vol 20 No 2, February 2002: 54-61).
There are approximately 100 formal rescue organizations dedicated to parrots in this country. There are many smaller, informal groups and individuals working to place parrots in good homes while offering sanctuary and fostering. Many rescue organizations state that the parrots they receive have already been in multiple homes. Dr. Susan Clubb, DVM, states that many pet birds are given up within only a few years of arriving at their first homes (Clubb, Susan, DVM. "Captive Management of Birds for a New Lifetime." JAVMA Vol 212, No 8 (1998): 1243-1245). What is it that causes parrots to lose their homes at such a high rate?
That answer is both simple and rather complicated. Combine a parrot's wild nature, high intelligence, longevity, the lack of education of the general public, and an impulsive, throw-away society, and we can see how there are problems related to the welfare of exotic birds kept in captivity as "pets".
If you have ever walked into a large chain pet store, you'll likely agree that these shops are doing a grave injustice to parrots. They market parrots as easy care, low maintenance pets. They often promote the sale of unweaned chicks as a means for the owner to bond with the bird, while pocketing the profits. Certain species that are up for sale may in fact be overpopulated, according to N. Marshall Meyers of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. Meyers stated just 4 years ago,
"Industry data indicate annual growth [of the bird industry] of approximately 5%. A saturation point, however, may have been reached for certain species, primarily amazons, macaws, and cockatoos." (Meyers, N. Marshall. "Perspectives on Pet Bird Welfare from the Pet Industry." JAVMA Vol 212, No 8 (1998): 1238-1242).
Many pet stores and unethical breeders provide either inadequate or outright inaccurate information for new parrot caretakers as a way of making a sale. Inadequate and inaccurate information leads this naïve consumer (who has not sought out the correct information) to believe they are getting a quiet feathered animal that enjoys staying in a cage all day and needs to eat only seeds. Before you know it, that bird is up for sale again, and the cycle continues. The bird is re-homed and may develop serious behavioral problems. Often, the bird ends up at a shelter or a rescue sanctuary.
How do shelters deal with parrots? Sadly, many don't. After all, they're used to dealing with cats and dogs, and often don't have the time, resources, space, or experience to properly care for a bird. Some shelters will seek out information from local bird clubs or rescue organizations and try to place birds with these groups first. Unfortunately, many shelters do not or can not network with avian welfare groups, and it is the birds who suffer. At this time, it is suspected that a few select shelters may be using euthanasia as a way of dealing with homeless birds.
Add to all of this the lack of protective regulations specific to birds in the pet trade, and we have a royal mess on our hands. As one of the most popular companion animals in this country, birds deserve to be protected just as much as dogs and cats. Parrots are here to stay, and it's up to us as bird lovers, rescuers, and breeders to ensure that they receive the best care possible by advocating for responsible legislation that will protect their welfare.
African Greys and Welfare Issues
African greys do not seem to find themselves homeless as often as many of the louder species, such as cockatoos, conures, amazons, and macaws. Many greys seem to have the ability to adapt to captivity better than most of the larger parrots. Smaller birds like cockatiels, budgies, and lovebirds also find themselves homeless, often because the caretaker views them as cheap and disposable. Often, feather destructive problems, along with a caretaker's inability to make time for the bird (due to life changes such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or death, long work hours, or demanding family schedules) lead greys to lose their homes. As greys become known for their talking abilities, including their abilities to use our language cognitively, they have become more popular as pets. Greys are often recommended as "apartment" birds, because their voices are usually not very loud or irritating, unless they have learned another bird's scream.
Many greys seem to have difficulties adjusting to new caretakers when they have been allowed to become bonded to one person only. When they are shuffled from home to home or into rescue organizations, they can easily lose their tameness, making them much less likely to get adopted. Greys in rescues have often faced years of neglect, and even outright abuse, making them extremely distrustful of humans. It can take diligent rehabilitation to get a rescue grey ready to live among humans as a "pet" again. Many greys in rescue situations do very well when paired up with another grey as a companion, instead of relying on humans to provide the social interaction they need. Rescue workers or those adopting a bonded pair of greys should take care not to allow them to breed. There are certainly enough greys in captivity already to satisfy our desire for them.
Many people with greys also have other species of parrots in their homes. Even those of us with only a grey can understand that intelligence and the ability to suffer is not a trait specific to greys. All parrots need our help and our advocacy. You don't have to run a rescue sanctuary, or even be able to take in rescued birds to assist in the parrot welfare issues. Study the issues, find like-minded people to help, and don't be afraid to ask questions. The birds need you.
