From MARIAN WHITE
I would like to comment on Annabelle Birchall’s article (‘Who’s a clever
parrot, then?’, 24 February) and Barry Riley’s reply (Letters, 21 April).
Parrots are renowned for their longevity. Yet the average life expectancy
of a cockatoo in captivity in the US is three years; amazons can expect
to live for five years. This is due to poor diet, disease and stress.
Having been involved in the rehabilitation of ‘pet’ cockatoos in Australia,
I’m well acquainted with the ravages that the stress of captivity brings.
I have seen birds that have feather-plucked themselves almost naked, some
that have chewed holes in their own flesh. The vets here call it ‘slow suicide’.
Some birds engage in continual stereotypical behaviour, an endless cat’s
cradle of dementia. Given the right conditions, many can recover and are
readily accepted into flocks of wild cockatoos.
Riley maintains that since macaws have been ‘harvested’ in the wild
for centuries, it is alright to continue to do so. He overlooks the fact
that these days bird populations have to contend with the insatiable appetite
of the bird trade (birds taken in their hundreds of thousands each year,
with an estimated 80 per cent mortality rate between forest and ‘pet’ shop).
Add to this the increasing pressure from massive destruction of habitat
and you have a recipe for disaster.
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It is pertinent to add that whereas parrot populations could once withstand
traditional methods of hunting by indigenous peoples, nowadays their numbers
are decimated by the gun.
We cannot afford to be complacent about the birds’ ability to survive
the ravages of an exploitative humanity.
Marian White Freedom for Birds Melbourne, Australia
