A message from Dr. Jane Goodall.

[Mistyparrot]

 

Steve n Misty

[JeffNOK]

nice video--thnx for posting.

[Muse]

Thank you for sharing this link. It was a very moving video. It makes me ashamed to be human sometimes when I see what we as a species have done to the creatures we have been charged with overseeing in this great world. I feel deep guilt every time I watch a video such as this, not only for the abuse these magnificent creatures suffer at the hands of other humans, but for our even assuming they are ours to take and own.

 

I look at my own two Greys, just shy of three years old. They were born of parents who had been captured in Africa, but they themselves have never known a life in the wild. From the moment they opened their helpless little eyes to this world, they were depending on humans to fulfill their needs. Even now, they are bonded to humans as well as each other. They cling to us for security when outside their own familiar area. They depend on us for food, shelter from heat and cold, clean water to drink, and tender care when they are sick. Yet I cannot give them what they would have in the wild. The freedom to come and go as they please. As a kind of compensation, I do my best to protect them from harm. They get the best I can give, whether it be carefully selected organic foods or the best veterinary care I can find. They have crates of toys. And hopefully soon they will have a large aviary where they can actually stretch their wings out and fly.

 

I have to say one thing. I am glad we have two. There is something magical I see in their interactions, and it is something they cannot get from myself or their daddy. But I still feel a heavy load of guilt over keeping them captive in our home.

 

Maybe this whole guilt thing was just compounded by a visit to several animal shelters today. We are adding another dog to the family. Our only dog used to have next-door neighbors for socializing, and now he is isolated from others of his kind. The cats are older and getting grumpy and barely tolerate him but will no longer play with him. So we decided it would be best to get him a brother or sister near his own size and age. We searched three shelters. I wanted to take them all. Every pair of sad eyes broke my heart. I spent most of the day fighting tears, mostly unsuccessfully. I was in shock at how many of them were Pit Bull purebreds or mixes. (And I had serious doubt about the 'mix' labels, wondering if it is a smokescreen to make them seem less frightening). We had already decided we need a smaller dog, one that can play with Riley without inadvertently hurting him. We finally put a deposit on this bedraggled looking small poodle. She seems very anxious and afraid at this point, but I am sure after some time with our family she will be just as comfortable and crazy as the rest of our family. Then I come home and watch this video and the flood starts all over. I am absolutely certain Mar must think I am very odd because my eyes leak so much. He often reaches over to wipe the tears from my cheek with his beak.

[danmcq]

Thanks for posting this Steve.

[Inara]

Thanks for posting, Steve. A good reminder that while we are indeed stewards of our own companions, we should not turn a blind eye to contributing to conservation of their in the wild brothers and sisters.

[MKparrot]

Thanks for posting this.

[birdhouse]

This issue really needs to be kept as visible as possible until help for the wild Grey population finally arrives. So thanks for posting this Steve.

 

 

"Standing Committee approves annual export of 3,000 Greys from Cameroon

 

Despite the best efforts of the World Parrot Trust and the over 41,000 signatories who supported the petition against the trade in Grey parrots in Cameroon and Congo, CITES' ruling yesterday ultimately failed to protect the birds from unsustainable trade, ignoring sound science, global public opinion, and the terms of their own Convention.

 

Rather than ruling to protect protect these Globally Threatened Species, they instead chose to reopen trade from Cameroon, allowing 3,000 birds a year to now be legally exported from that country. As a result 6,000 birds will be taken from the wild as roughly 50% of these birds die between trapping and export. CITES also failed to suspend trade from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is despite Congo's repeatedly exceeding their annual quota of 5,000 bird."

 

http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/cites-results.html

 

 

This last vote was taken in July 2012. It was a sad day for many people who really thought that maybe some better protection would be mandated for these birds.

 

But I think CITES Standing Committee limited that quota to 3 yrs. So maybe next time we can encourage them to make better decisions if we all do just a little to help in the meantime.