Avian Welfare Issues: A General Overview
Within the past decade, aviculture has gone from a small hobby to a vast multi-million dollar industry. It is estimated by various pet industry and welfare organizations that there are as many as 10-60 million captive birds living in the U.S. This dramatic increase has resulted in new challenges when addressing the welfare of birds kept in captivity.
How do we, as aviculturists, define "avian welfare issues?" It is certainly easy to overlook the problems. We have had minimal media coverage of any humane issues regarding parrots. We have been unable to get an accurate count of the number of exotic birds that have been surrendered to avian rescue and sanctuary facilities. All we really have at this point is anecdotal evidence. Breeders and rescuers are often on opposite sides when it comes to "the issues."
So, you're probably still wondering what the issues are. Many avian rescue facilities have spoken about problems regarding parrot welfare for many years now. From my experience as a caretaker of exotic birds (not a breeder, nor a rescuer), the issues seem to be rather simple.
The Welfare Issues
First, we have to acknowledge that there is a problem.
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.
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 states,
"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 owners 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.
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.
Working Together
The issues facing captive birds are often overlooked. We do not have many homeless parrots wandering around cities and neighborhoods or filling shelters. Neglected birds are often behind closed doors. We don't have the solid data yet to prove to the world that there is, indeed, a problem. We can certainly agree that there are more parrots being kept in captivity today than 10 years ago. The interest in parrots has grown steadily as captive breeding has taken off, both as a small hobby and a major business venture. As their numbers have grown, there are groups and individuals noticing the development of major problems related to parrot welfare. We do need solid evidence as to the numbers of unwanted birds being given up, as well as the reasons parrots often get shuffled from home to home. We need to create a public awareness, and aviculturists and avian welfare activists must work together to solve the problems facing parrots today.
