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From: JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Smuggling/slight "indoor" slam
Message-ID: <90200.105135JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET>
Date: 19 Jul 90 15:51:35 GMT
References: <90198.165720JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET> <26A4B6E5.12DB@intercon.com>
Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service
Lines: 39

In article <26A4B6E5.12DB@intercon.com>, kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
says:
 
  [lots of good points about breeding endangered birds]
 
After some thought, I agree with you on at least some points.  I guess
I'd like to see endangered birds being bred by competent breeders.
I had assumed that meant zoos, but apparently that is not necessarily
correct.  My experiences with zoos has been uniformly excellent, because
my exposure has been pretty much to two parks: St. Louis, and Cincinnati,
the latter having an excellent captive breeding program.  For example,
they are currently breeding Micronesian Kingfishers, the entire population
of which has been trapped and put into captivity (about twenty birds).
They "exhibit" the birds on television monitors; the birds themselves
appear to have a very large facility and are left virtually undisturbed.
And they've had some success (only one so far, but it's a start).
 
Perhaps the core issue is, what are we breeding these birds FOR?
Is the goal to eventually return them to their native habitat (I would
argue that that ought to be the goal)?  Or is it simply to maintain a
population in captivity?  My bias is probably formed by having spent
some time in the tropics and seen parrots of various sorts on the wing,
and then in captivity.  They're not the same birds.  I have no illusions
that life in the wild is carefree and joyous; I don't subscribe to some
"Jungle Book" mentality.  I know that mortality is high, and disease
and parasitism is rampant.  But comfortable domesticated birds are one
thing, and scrappy wild birds are another, and I have my preferences.
 
The reality is, of course, that the habitat simply doesn't exist any
longer for a number of endangered species, and they must be kept in
cages until that habitat is restored, if it ever is.  But we oughta at
least try.
 
Josh Hayes, Zoology Department, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056
voice: 513-529-1679      fax: 513-529-6900
jahayes@miamiu.bitnet, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
 
In the late Devouring Period, fish became obnoxious.  Clamosaurs
and Oysterettes appeared as appetizers.