Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!ames!bionet!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!intercon!kdb@intercon.uu.net From: kdb@intercon.uu.net (Kurt Baumann) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Wild caught v. domestic (was Birdwatchers vs. bird owners) Message-ID: <1333@intercon.UUCP> Date: 2 Aug 89 17:39:24 GMT References: <1329@intercon.UUCP> <558@ncrorl.Orlando.NCR.COM> <3012@nmtsun.nmt.edu> <1316@intercon.UUCP> <8915@cs.Buffalo.EDU> Sender: news@intercon.UUCP Reply-To: Kurt Baumann Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation Lines: 38 It also should be pointed out that there are estimated to be roughly 100-200 Hyacinth Macaws in the wild. But I would estimate from pictures and the number of ads in the bird magazines that these birds are well on their way to becoming an establish domestic pet. (I have seen pictures with well over 30 babies) As to Austrailia. The ONLY way to get a bird out of the country is to capture it, but it, or whatever while living there. You apparently must have lived in the country for a couple of years and then then they will allow you to take your pet out of the country. It might be worth going there for a couple of years to pick up a breeding pair of Black Cockatoos or Leadbeaters (Major Mitchells)... :-) But there are no exports of any other kind. A point about smuggled birds. The mortallity rate is more like 80% from what I have heard. In anycase, the real question is what to do about identifying if the bird you are looking at is smuggled or not? There are several other species that are being held in captivity that are not found in the wild anymore. The Spitz Macaw comes to mind here. There MIGHT be two breeding pairs known in the wild. There are roughly 40 birds in captivity, with only perhaps 6 pairs with breeding being attempted. This is a disgrace. That leaves the rest sitting either in a zoo alone or in someones private collection. You might as well shoot them. Birds on the endangered list SHOULD be in breeding programs. I don't care if they are programs for return to the wild or programs for making them pets. They both serve the same purpose of keeping the species around... Grr. PS I think this discussion should be of very important interest to both pet, breeders, and bird watchers. If they no longer exsist they are kinda hard to watch, breed, or have as pets... -- Kurt Baumann InterCon Systems Corporation 46950 Community Plaza Suite 101-132 Sterling, VA 22170 Phone: 703.450.7117