July 2012
Dear Humans, Birds and Elephants,
This is a most auspicious night. We meet here, in Mr. Willy’s, to share the 26th anniversary of The Catskill Exotic Bird Club and share our collective feeling of good will to birds and all living beings. I feel a wonderful sense of pride as I sit here, this morning, typing this letter. It would be easier if Zeke, my cockatiel, was not trying to help me but I will get through this task, I always do.
Aristophanes, an always hungry macaw, is happily chomping on his breakfast of pistachio nuts, scrambled eggs. banana and peanut butter. Emma, my always hungry yellow naped Amazon, eats the pistachio nuts and eggs, but does not like the banana and peanut butter so I replace that with pieces of apple that Emma loves. Zeke will eat anything, providing it is while he is standing on my plate. If I just put “human food” into his cup in his cage he will ignore it. They are all so different, have their own individual personalities and, as I have learned through the years, should all be flying freely in the jungle with their respective families. They, of course, can never do that so I make their lives as full and interesting as I can. I will always maintain that any bird that is kept in a cage 24 hours a day is a prisoner, not a pet. I can go on and on about this, but I will spare my readers what I have already said on countless occasions. This evening should be a very happy time.
The Catskill Exotic Bird Club, over the years, has made many worthwhile contributions, in the field of education and to the well being of pet birds, to the area in which we live. We do talks at schools, at nursing homes, hospitals, neighborhood facilities, camps and other groups where people meet. We bring a knowledge of how to properly and lovingly care for pet birds and how to treat them as a beloved family member. We have workshops on avian nutrition, humane bird husbandry, parrot “psychology” as well as an awareness of what is happening to each captive species, and others, in the wild. We have had speakers come to us from many outstanding bird organizations such as The World Parrot Trust and The Wildlife Conservation Society, among others. We were one of the only “pet bird clubs” that strongly supported the law that prohibited the importation of wild birds for the pet industry. We have a bird show each year, chaired by our vice president, Matt Frumess, that is truly an educational exposition. Our mission is to help birds live, caring for those that are captive in the best and kindest way we know, and to have those in the wild stay, always and forever, free.
Many years ago, domestic breeding seemed to be the answer to provide birds for the pet trade. Now our ideas have changed. There are so many birds that need homes that are already in this often pernicious market, that we ask for a moritorium on breeding parrots for the pet trade until all of these “surplus” birds find loving and permanent homes. For the most part, pet shops and parrot breeders are not very forthcoming on the extensive and often daunting responsibilities of pet bird ownership. They will take your money and parrots are often very expensive. These sellers rarely explain that this sweet, adorable, loving baby cockatoo sitting on your lap is going to grow into a screaming, willful, needy animal that is going to require much more than you are ready to give and they live longer than we do. Breeders also do not want to address the cruelty of taking infant parrots from their parents to handfeed them for the pet industry. This is not a necessary thing to do, but it generally leads to the distraught parent birds producing more eggs, more babies and so more profit.
I get too many calls to re-home too many parrots. People get tired of them. They get tired of the dirt, tired of the screaming, tired of the chewed walls and furniture and generally tired of all the needs that these sensitive beings have and bring to us as their owners or family or whatever you want to call it. My worst telephone calls are “Hello, my name is ........... I have a parrot and I want to get rid of it”. Often if I sense that the caller loves the bird, I try to get them to keep it. More often than not, I end up placing the bird in a new home and the bird generally undergoes emotional havoc. It is cruel and it is unkind. Parrots are intelligent and emotional creatures. They attach strongly to their human and taking away the family they love and of which they have always been part is often emotionally devastating. Also, it is very difficult to find a home that is truly permanent. I got a call last week from someone who has had a large parrot for 13 years, since babyhood, and no longer wants the bird. This is not going to be easy and I hope I can do what is best for this bird. Thankfully, at this point I have help.....Pat Bennett and Amy Kristt, two of our club members have been very helpful in placing unwanted birds.
So much for my usual diatribe. I am still looking for monthly programs; please contact me with contact information. Like I always say: “I am not shy; I will call anybody.” Our 21st Annual Pet Bird Show will be held at the Liberty Fire House on October 14th.....please get involved.
Tonight our guest speaker is very exciting. I want to introduce Peter Capainolo, Senior Scientific Assistant to the curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History.
Mr. Capainolo will present a talk on:Basics Of Avian Evolution With A Few 21st Century Surprises
This should be a very interesting program and I am sure we are all looking forward to it. This, combined with our silent auction and fine dinner, should make for a wonderful evening.
Happy 26th anniversary, fellow club members and friends. Always be kind and humane to all living things (especially elephants), and be happy too.
With love,
Richie
This is a most auspicious night. We meet here, in Mr. Willy’s, to share the 26th anniversary of The Catskill Exotic Bird Club and share our collective feeling of good will to birds and all living beings. I feel a wonderful sense of pride as I sit here, this morning, typing this letter. It would be easier if Zeke, my cockatiel, was not trying to help me but I will get through this task, I always do.
Aristophanes, an always hungry macaw, is happily chomping on his breakfast of pistachio nuts, scrambled eggs. banana and peanut butter. Emma, my always hungry yellow naped Amazon, eats the pistachio nuts and eggs, but does not like the banana and peanut butter so I replace that with pieces of apple that Emma loves. Zeke will eat anything, providing it is while he is standing on my plate. If I just put “human food” into his cup in his cage he will ignore it. They are all so different, have their own individual personalities and, as I have learned through the years, should all be flying freely in the jungle with their respective families. They, of course, can never do that so I make their lives as full and interesting as I can. I will always maintain that any bird that is kept in a cage 24 hours a day is a prisoner, not a pet. I can go on and on about this, but I will spare my readers what I have already said on countless occasions. This evening should be a very happy time.
The Catskill Exotic Bird Club, over the years, has made many worthwhile contributions, in the field of education and to the well being of pet birds, to the area in which we live. We do talks at schools, at nursing homes, hospitals, neighborhood facilities, camps and other groups where people meet. We bring a knowledge of how to properly and lovingly care for pet birds and how to treat them as a beloved family member. We have workshops on avian nutrition, humane bird husbandry, parrot “psychology” as well as an awareness of what is happening to each captive species, and others, in the wild. We have had speakers come to us from many outstanding bird organizations such as The World Parrot Trust and The Wildlife Conservation Society, among others. We were one of the only “pet bird clubs” that strongly supported the law that prohibited the importation of wild birds for the pet industry. We have a bird show each year, chaired by our vice president, Matt Frumess, that is truly an educational exposition. Our mission is to help birds live, caring for those that are captive in the best and kindest way we know, and to have those in the wild stay, always and forever, free.
Many years ago, domestic breeding seemed to be the answer to provide birds for the pet trade. Now our ideas have changed. There are so many birds that need homes that are already in this often pernicious market, that we ask for a moritorium on breeding parrots for the pet trade until all of these “surplus” birds find loving and permanent homes. For the most part, pet shops and parrot breeders are not very forthcoming on the extensive and often daunting responsibilities of pet bird ownership. They will take your money and parrots are often very expensive. These sellers rarely explain that this sweet, adorable, loving baby cockatoo sitting on your lap is going to grow into a screaming, willful, needy animal that is going to require much more than you are ready to give and they live longer than we do. Breeders also do not want to address the cruelty of taking infant parrots from their parents to handfeed them for the pet industry. This is not a necessary thing to do, but it generally leads to the distraught parent birds producing more eggs, more babies and so more profit.
I get too many calls to re-home too many parrots. People get tired of them. They get tired of the dirt, tired of the screaming, tired of the chewed walls and furniture and generally tired of all the needs that these sensitive beings have and bring to us as their owners or family or whatever you want to call it. My worst telephone calls are “Hello, my name is ........... I have a parrot and I want to get rid of it”. Often if I sense that the caller loves the bird, I try to get them to keep it. More often than not, I end up placing the bird in a new home and the bird generally undergoes emotional havoc. It is cruel and it is unkind. Parrots are intelligent and emotional creatures. They attach strongly to their human and taking away the family they love and of which they have always been part is often emotionally devastating. Also, it is very difficult to find a home that is truly permanent. I got a call last week from someone who has had a large parrot for 13 years, since babyhood, and no longer wants the bird. This is not going to be easy and I hope I can do what is best for this bird. Thankfully, at this point I have help.....Pat Bennett and Amy Kristt, two of our club members have been very helpful in placing unwanted birds.
So much for my usual diatribe. I am still looking for monthly programs; please contact me with contact information. Like I always say: “I am not shy; I will call anybody.” Our 21st Annual Pet Bird Show will be held at the Liberty Fire House on October 14th.....please get involved.
Tonight our guest speaker is very exciting. I want to introduce Peter Capainolo, Senior Scientific Assistant to the curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History.
Mr. Capainolo will present a talk on:Basics Of Avian Evolution With A Few 21st Century Surprises
This should be a very interesting program and I am sure we are all looking forward to it. This, combined with our silent auction and fine dinner, should make for a wonderful evening.
Happy 26th anniversary, fellow club members and friends. Always be kind and humane to all living things (especially elephants), and be happy too.
With love,
Richie