Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!husc6!rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!zztop.rutgers.edu!pratt From: pratt@zztop.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: hookbills, you asked for it, you know, posting to rec.birds... Keywords: conservation, birds, cages Message-ID: Date: 17 Oct 88 18:12:27 GMT References: <1103@leah.Albany.Edu> <1521@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu> <3898@encore.UUCP> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 35 lar says: >What can you do? Buy a captive-born bird. This supports breeders, who >have already saved some species from extinction. (Also, the bird will >be much tamer/happier than the typical wild-caught bird.) As I said in my original posting, I love birds and would like to keep an aviary, but had decided against the idea. This comment might give me a way to have that aviary without guilt. Can you post more information on breeders who save birds from extinction and how I can buy a bird from them so as to support their cause? If I buy an African Gray from my local Doktor Pets, am I hurting or harming the situation? Where do they get their birds from? >Support responsible >legislation. I have to stress _responsible_ here; a recent importation >law supported by the US SPCA regarding the size and configuration of >shipping cages for transport of birds causes increased injury and >death to transported birds than the cages that were normally being Again, an excellent comment, and on my part a request for information: can you tell us who to write to/what to do? >Why deny yourself the companionship and enhanced appreciation of these >wonderful and intelligent birds? Just take responsibility for your >actions. If you just want a pet, don't get an endangered bird; leave >them for breeders. Sounds like very sound advice, as long as it's really implementable! --Lori -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lorien Y. Pratt Computer Science Department pratt@paul.rutgers.edu Rutgers University Busch Campus (201) 932-4634 Piscataway, NJ 08854