Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!labrea!decwrl!sun!plaid!chuq From: chuq@plaid.Sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: hookbills, you asked for it, you know, posting to rec.birds... Keywords: conservation, birds, cages Message-ID: <73276@sun.uucp> Date: 17 Oct 88 22:52:41 GMT References: Sender: news@sun.uucp Lines: 34 > This comment might give me > a way to have that aviary without guilt. Problem #1. Before you can be a successful breeder of endangered species, you really need to be a successful breeder and birdkeeper. The *last* thing you want to do is experiment on birds that might not get a second chance. And before you can be a successful breeder, you have to keep birds and learn how to take care of them. You don't *start* by breeding hyacinths, you work up to it. If your primary purpose in life is to save birds by breeding them rather than enjoying birds and using your skills to help them, you're coming at it wrong and are likely to fail -- and cause harm to the birds you're trying to save. you'd be *much* better off to volunteer your time to the local zoological society or zoo and help the experts. > 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? Anyone who buys *ANYTHING* from Docktor Pets is contributing to one of the worst offenders in the Puppy Mill industry. (the only folks I know of who are worse than Docktor are the hypocrites at the AKC who continue to assign papers to these dogs, knowing full well they're raised under inhumane and (in many cases) unclean conditions where the parentage is, frankly, suspect). You think things are bad in the bird world, go take a close look at the places that breed dogs for Docktor and other chain pet stores. Go take a *close* look at the quality of the dog you get, too, and it's health. We'll ignore the obvious problems with them being within breed standard in many cases. On top of that, Docktor Pet Center's care of their animals is horrid. I've yet to see one where the bird areas were clean, or even close to it. Chuq Von Rospach chuq@sun.COM Delphi: CHUQ Editor/Publisher, OtherRealms