ASIAN ANIMAL PROTECTION NETWORK    

1. City Birds (pigeons, etc)

Pigeon Control Advisory Service - USA
Pigeon Control Advisory Service - UK
PiCAS INTERNATIONAL
Pigeon Recovery

From Hong Kong Government:
Feral Pigeons
                           The necessary measures to prevent pigeon nuisance have been clearly set out by experts both here and overseas.  They are ―                          

                           Both (a) and (b) are essential and are the solutions to the problem.  Officers of a company which consults on (a) and install the devices at (a), or the President of the H K Pests Management Association,  can advise on these successful methods.

It is emphasise that both [a] and [b] are needed together for success. 

                           Experience and experts have shown that other measures such as catching and removing pigeons have usually wasted public money and have failed to eliminate the pigeon nuisance, because pigeons will move in from elsewhere to roost and to feed so long as that food and these roosting sites continue to exist, and remaining pigeons will breed further and rapidly replenish the pigeon population to match the supply of the food and roosts.                          

2. Buddhist Release of Birds (and turtles, etc)

South China Morning Post Thursday  March 20  1997
Tropical turtles killed by kindness by FIONA HOLLAND 
Animal welfare campaigners, conservationists and the Government have warned against releasing giant turtles into the wild after a flood of sick reptiles has been found.  Buddhists traditionally release creatures such as turtles and terrapins, believing the ceremonies will bring them long life and good luck. But tropical species - in particular the yellow-headed temple turtles and Malaysian giant turtles - are not suited to the cooler environment.
The executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Doreen Davies, said turtles needed clean, warm water but were often released into the sea or reservoirs, where they usually died. Since last year, record numbers of sick turtles have been brought in, prompting concern from conservationists about the impact on wild populations. The society has treated 12 since December. Nine have died. At Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden near Sek Kong, eight turtles have been surrendered, of which only four survived. Ms Davies accused traders of exploiting Buddhists' compassion by encouraging buyers to pay up to $5,000 per turtle to 'save their lives'. 'We appeal particularly to Buddhist associations to discourage members from supporting this trade,' she said. Turtles were caught with fish-hooks, which became embedded, and were force-fed stones to increase their weight, said Ms Davies.
The co-director of the Daktrul Nyingmapa Buddhist Association, Teresa Lee Kiu-yee, said members spent more than $100,000 'rescuing' turtles last year. Now they realised their mistakes and the association advised its members and other groups to stop buying and releasing turtles in the wild.

3. Caged Birds.
"BIRD-LOVERS" WHO CAGE BIRDS - A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS

Compiled by HEAL (Humane Ethics for Animal Life) of Singapore

• Birds have perfected flight only through the total dedication of their anatomy, physiology and behaviour to its requirements.

Caging deprives them of the expression of their most basic natural instinct.

• SELF-MUTILATION is a common problem with caged birds who may chew off their claws, legs, feathers or even chew holes in their chests through boredom.
• Many caged birds die from obesity and cancer.
• They are in an environment they did not choose to be in and thus have to live in circumstances that may be very difficult for them. For example, they must endure hot sun when they need shade, light at night, too much noise, the loneliness of being alone and so forth.

THE CRUEL TRADE  

• One moment a bird is flying free. The next, it is caught in a net trying frantically to escape.
• Birds starve, catch diseases, suffer dehydration, heat exhaustion and so forth.
• More die in cargo holds of planes.
• The few that survive are in a pet shop near you.
• Even those in the pet shop will probably die in a few days or weeks as these people do not know how to look after these birds.

Some parrot traders in Argentina purposely push a wire down the throat of baby parrots to puncture their gizzards before they sell them so that when the bird dies of infection 6 weeks later the sad parrot-owner will buy another parrot - and put more money into this cruel trade.

• Up to 50% of the birds caught in the main exporting countries such as Argentina, Senegal and Indonesia will die before export.

THE CAPTIVE-BRED BIRD FACTORY

As a "breeder", a bird is placed with a "mate" to reproduce and rarely removed from the nest box.  When the egg is removed, this signals to the female to produce another egg and another and another...this continues and is distressing to the parents and can affect the female's health.
Birds who cannot choose their own mates may become depressed, especially if they were separated from their bonded partner.
Just like wild-caught birds, captive-bred ones often become neurotic, pulling off their feathers and self-mutilating, sometimes till they die.

BIRD TRAPPERS WILL OFTEN STOP AT NOTHING TO SEIZE BIRDS FROM THE WILD

BUYING AND FREEING BIRDS FROM PET SHOPS - SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN'T WE?

• Doing this promotes the trade; the birds will be quickly replaced.
• Caged birds freed, especially on their own, in an unsuitable environment, or outside their natural range, may be vulnerable to predators and the weather. There is also a risk of their transmitting disease to wild birds or altering the genetic purity of their species in the wild.

What YOU Can Do 

• Rethink buying birds as pets.
• Educate your friends about the cruelty behind keeping birds in confinement.
• If possible, and if you can afford it, place an advertisement in the local paper, under the section on "Pets" / "Birds for Sale", an advertisement saying something like:
• "Don't buy caged birds. They suffer boredom, frustration and sometimes self-mutilation. Let birds use their wings. Let them be free".

• Write to the European Commissioner for the Environment, asking him to end the trade:

Carlo Ripa di Meana
Commissioner for the Environment
Commission of the European Communities
Rue de la Loi 200
Belgium

Sympathy

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals -
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting -
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore -
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to heaven he flings -
I know why the caged bird sings!

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
son to two slaves who made it

Birds should be observed in the wild - not bought and sold in the markets and kept in cages.

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Last revised: 26 October 2007