|
CONSERVATION? ANIMAL RIGHTS? OR BOTH? By John Geary In addition to being an animal lover, I am also very concerned about the conservation of wild parrots. Conservationists do not always have the same goals or take the same approach as animal rights advocates. Both are important aspects of the same circle, although both can sometimes be carried to negative extremes. Like the yin-yang of life, these sometimes seemingly opposing forces need to be in balance. Conservation is more concerned with the protection and continued existence of populations of wild species and spaces. The animal rights movement focuses more on the rights of individual members of a population. Sometimes the two aspects - the yin and the yang - do conflict. Wearing both hats is not impossible nor even unheard of, but in order to do so, you really need to be aware of the differences. You also need to realize that there are times when you need to doff one hat in order to don the other. If you are still unclear about the differences and possible conflicts between conservation and animal rights advocacy, consider this ... In 1999, several prominent American conservation groups - including the National Audubon Society - had to trap and kill introduced red foxes in California in order to stop them from destroying native species of terns and rails. A job like that is not an enviable one, but sometimes it is necessary. Some animal rights groups were against it. However, the fox population - which was introduced to that area by man in the 1800's - was not threatened; the two native bird populations were threatened. This raises some hard questions, with no easy answers. Is it better to humanely destroy some members of one species than to stand by and do nothing while they exterminate another - especially when it was man that first upset the balance by introducing the offending species? Or should we protect the rights of every single member of one species to the detriment and eventual extinction of another? Which is more humane? Think about that for a minute or two. Then re-examine yourself and your answer. The topic could be argued into the next millennium. It is a deeply philosophical question, with no truly "correct" answer. The "right" answer depends on what you hold to be the highest morality. That morality is specific to each individual. The "right" answer is the one that allows you to be true to yourself and your ideals. It is not up to me to judge what is right for another person. I ask you to simply think about it in a caring, responsible manner, because while there is no "right" answer, your thinking about it may shed some additional light on your own beliefs and attitudes. Just thinking about this subject, with an open mind and an open heart, can create some good.
This leads into another aspect of this multi-faceted topic. There have been occasions when conservationists I know have voiced mildly their disapproval of my decision to keep parrots as pets. Their rationale holds that birds are meant to be wild, free and flying. While I agree with them to a certain extent, their argument loses much of its bite when several facts are considered. Many people cannot keep cats or dogs because of allergies and other medical conditions. That is the case with Ann and I. What right does someone else have to tell me I should not love and enjoy a pet, while they can? Another factor that comes into play is the fact we "inherited" Nikki, a bird with a few behavioral problems that no one else seemed to want, as I describe in detail on the Nikki's Nest page. So we probably saved this beautiful bird from a very unhappy life, and perhaps an early death. I find it interesting that some conservation groups and some individual conservationists find it inappropriate for me to keep a wild bird as a pet - but they then go out and shoot wild fowl for recreation, even though the animals they shoot are not an essential food source. Some of them also keep dogs as pets. Dogs were once wild and free and many canine species - wolves, coyotes, foxes, African wild dogs - still run wild and free, although, like parrots, many of them are threatened species. Ditto, cats. That philosophical recipe seems to contain a scent of hypocrisy within its list of ingredients. Another argument holds that for every captive parrot bred and sold, pressure is put on the remaining wild populations. Perhaps that is true to a degree; however, responsible parrot owners, breeders and store keepers do not deal in the wild parrot trade. In fact, many of them advocate against it. They work toward the day when there will be no wild parrot trade. The reality of the situation is this: people have kept parrots as pets as far back in time as the ancient Egyptian civilization; parrots will continue to be the pet of choice for many people, for many reasons. That reality will probably not change. There will always be people willing to pay for parrots, and some people will not care whether they are wild or captive-bred. To my mind:
All of these scenarios are better than the alternative: the removal of wild birds from their native habitat. To criticize people who care deeply about their pets and about wild parrots - however mildly - is to bring the world a step closer to that undesirable alternative: wild parrots as the only source for pets, caught brutally and sold on the black market, sold to people who are interested only in making a buck or in having a novelty to show off, rather than in experiencing a rich and rewarding relationship like those that develop between a parrot and a loving owner. Captive-bred parrots can even help conservation goals, educating people about the plight of parrots, other birds and conservation. They can help people connect with nature a little more than might otherwise be the case. I know I look at birds - all birds - in a much different light since Nikki and Coco came into my life. There
is no escaping the fact parrots
are being taken from the wild for sale as pets at an alarming rate. Neither can
we lose sight of the fact that parrots are
also just one of many species paying the price for our destruction of the world's
tropical rainforests. Neither
scenario is desirable. To find out more about what you can do to stop the trade of endangered wild-caught parrots and the destruction of our rainforests, visit some of the websites listed on my Links page. One other very important note: Be careful you do not give money to the wrong kind of charity organization. Many well-meaning or apparently well-meaning charities that solicit funds for animal welfare end up channeling it to groups or individuals of a radical nature. For information about this, see my Choose Your Charities Wisely Page. Before you decide it is not important enough to visit
the sites on my links page, remember: "In wildness is the preservation of the world." - Henry David Thoreau
|
||||||
|
(The background music you hear is "Fly, Parrot Fly," written by Mike Schindlinger, sung and recorded with his brother Ron) If you want to read another article about this particular issue, visit http://www.avianwelfare.org/issues/articles/aviwelfare.htm to read "Aviculture and Animal Welfare: What is the Difference? Where do They Stand?" |
||||||
|
General Information About African Grey Parrots
|
