Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!intercon!news
From: kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Smuggling/slight "indoor" slam
Message-ID: <26A75E7E.35AD@intercon.com>
Date: 20 Jul 90 19:41:50 GMT
References: <90198.165720JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET> <26A4B6E5.12DB@intercon.com> <90200.105135JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET>
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Reply-To: kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation, Herndon, VA
Lines: 63

In article <90200.105135JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET>, JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET writes:
> In article <26A4B6E5.12DB@intercon.com>, kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
> says:
>  
>   [lots of good points about breeding endangered birds]
>  

Thanks.

> 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).
>  

I wish that all parks/zoos breeding ANY endangered animals only show them
on TV.  Come on folks, when was the last time you did some public breeding?
(no comments from the ASB crowd :-))

> 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.
>  

I agree, I too would like to see these birds going back into the wild.  At
least to re-enforce the wild population.  They are much better seen in the
wild than in my cage :-), even though I am rather attached to my 6 year old
Mollucan male.

> 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.
>  

Well perhaps ONE day the worlds governments will see the reality of what
is happening to our world.  If we keep raping it the way we are currently
there isn't much hope for us much less birds/animals to survive. :-(  But
perhaps the worlds governments will see the "light" and start saving and
expanding habitat.  When/if this happens it will be a shame if we all haven't
made an effort to keep captive populations of endangered species.

Hopefully this will happen.

Kurt
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