Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!paul.rutgers.edu!blaze.rutgers.edu!pratt From: pratt@blaze.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: INDOOR Re: Pet Macaw Questions / Combatting extinction? Message-ID: Date: 29 Apr 91 18:43:07 GMT References: <1970001@hpgrla.gr.hp.com> <281C417E.44E@intercon.com> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 49 Mikki Barry writes: > >> Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment, >> -Price > >The other - to a hyacinth is that they CHEW like crazy and CAN eat your house. >Another important thing to consider is that they are highly endangered, and >keeping one for a pet rather than breeding him/her may create many people who >will push you to breed your "child", thus losing many of the pet qualities you >desire in a bird. There are more hyacinths in captivity than there are in the >wild. I am very interested in this idea, because I'm a bird watcher, intrigued by the idea of owning a bird of my own, but full of guilt at the thought of contributing to the unhappiness of an animal that is meant to fly cooped up in my home. Because of this, I've never really considered birds as pets. But here's what seems like a sound reason that might offset this issue. Say I get a hyacinth Macaw (from a breeder of course) at some point in my life (it would be at least a year from now). Say I have a house with a great big cage, like Mikki recommends, and I get a second Macaw and have a hand at breeding them, and raising their babies. I keep one baby as a pet (hand feed it and all) and sell off the babies from the adults. Am I now a captive breeding program for an endangered species, and am I thereby contributing to the long-term viability of this magnificent bird? If so, I think that this fact could offset any fears I have (unfounded?) of the birds being ``unhappy'' outside of their natural environments. Even if all this is possible, I'd still have some questions though: o Are there other birds whose extinction might be avoided by people keeping them as pets? Any North American species? (what about licenses)? o Are there any efforts to re-release these kinds of birds back into the wild? o How hard is it to breed birds/how much of a commitment am I talking about? Obviously, this is very long-term fantasizing, as I've never really seriously considered the idea, but I'd like to hear any thoughts any of you (especially Mikki) might have. --Lori -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- L. Y. Pratt Computer Science Department pratt@paul.rutgers.edu Rutgers University Hill Center (908) 932-4634 (Hill Center office) New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA (908) 846-4766 (home)