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opinion
Also in this section: Jackson, Martín's neocolonial dream The Other Side of Paradise Hey Man, I can let you have this bird for $50 by Susan Hahn Those who have been reading my rants know that I have birds. Some days I love them, and some days… well, not so much. They’re a lot of work. They scream. They demand. They poop. I also belong to some Internet groups interested in all things Panamanian. Normally these two parts of my life don’t collide. But these past few weeks they have, and that’s what I want to rant about. Lately on one of the groups, some people have been debating the benefits of having birds in Panama City. Someone wants a parrot. All kinds of advice has been bouncing back and forth. For instance, I’ve discovered that you can buy “parrots on a stick” near Boquete for about $20 and that in Panama City they’re about $600. If you go into the Interior, they are cheaper and younger, because they’re just babies. There’s even a guy in the group that will get you one for about $250 --- because he knows this guy. I guess “parrots on a stick” is the cute way of saying that people sell them on the side of the road where they are sitting on perches over sticks stuck in the ground. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen this curiosity and lure for the impulse buying of a pet whose life span can be over 60 years. Here’s what I do know. It is not only wrong; it is illegal to trade in baby birds that are taken from the nest in the wild. Further, it is not only illegal, it is eventually going to eliminate the number of beautiful wild birds for which Panama is admired, and work toward eliminating the entire species. In this case the species would be red lored and yellow headed Amazon parrots. I actually bred and sold cockatiels in the States. I also volunteered at the Audubon Society’s Wild Bird Care Center in my home state. I cared for injured and abandoned birds from the smallest backyard songbird to the bald eagle. I am not against selling domestically bred birds. The breeding and selling of young birds takes no small effort. First they must be bred properly, with records of their lineage, so that they don’t develop weaknesses by inbreeding from the same flock. They are bred for color and other strengths, so you need to know basic genetics. They are sometimes hatched by the parents, and sometimes by the breeder. Humidity, temperature, cleanliness, all are important factors. Sometimes eggs are given to different nesting pairs so they all will have a good start in life. If all goes well, hand feeding begins at two weeks old. Each individual bird is hand fed starting every two or three hours around the clock. They are gently spoken to, taught to “step up” or perch on the breeders finger (an important safety command), petted, cuddled, and in all ways bonded to the breeder and socialized to people in general. They live in a temperature controlled breeding box until their feathers start coming in. When they are around four weeks or so they start to try to fly. These little creatures develop personalities and attitude. It’s glorious chaos when five or six of them start flying at once and bump into everything including each other. They fall down, and get up and try again until they succeed. And are they ever proud of themselves. Next comes the weaning off the special formula that the breeder has been feeding them for weeks. They’ve already started eating pellets and seed as well as fruits and vegetables, but before they can be on their own, they have to be completely off the formula. This can take weeks. A good breeder will never sell a bird unless they are eating completely on their own. Many of the babies will cry for formula because they are not ready yet to give it up. Babies who do not eat bird food will die if they are sold before they are weaned. So, now we have a feisty, healthy six to eight week old baby who can fly, who loves to be around people, who has been taught and understands the “step-up” command, and who can be happy sitting on your shoulder or on a perch in a spacious cage filled with toys and colors to stimulate and amuse. My birds always had a veterinary checkup and fecal exam before they were sold. They were sold to people who could demonstrate that the bird would not be a “throw-away” pet. Education to the care and feeding of the bird was always part of the sale, as was the signed agreement to contact me if any problems arose. Now juxtapose this careful breeding to the theft and destruction of the nest in the wild. Perhaps the parents or other babies have been killed or injured during this process. These birds are not weaned. They are still being fed by the parents. They are taken out of the wild and put in a cage or placed on a perch on the side of the road, so that impulsive or at best, compassionate people will buy them for practically nothing, thus being complicit in continuing this cruel and ecologically short-sited practice. I don’t have statistics, but it would be a safe guess to assume that these birds do not live long lives. There is preparation and responsibility to owning a pet, and impulsive buying of these cute little creatures probably insures an unhappy ending for them. I say this having some experience in the rescue of birds from unwanted homes. The very people who had to have them had decided that the birds weren’t as cute when they became adults and screamed or bit, or were messy. Or perhaps they didn’t talk, so they weren’t as entertaining. Maybe they moved to an apartment in Panama City and the birds disturbed the neighbors with their calling at dawn and dusk --- because that is what birds do. Maybe there was a household change --- a new baby, a new spouse, and the bird just wasn’t the center of attention so developed behavior problems such as feather plucking or biting. Maybe the bird wasn’t protected and was taken by a predator. So I say to those people who support the practice of buying wild baby birds cheaply --- DON’T DO IT! If you must buy a bird, educate yourself to that animals needs, be practical about where it is going to live, what it is going to eat, (do you know chocolate or avocado will kill it, as will a large variety of household plants, scented candles and room deodorizers?), and don’t assume it is going to talk. Talking can be an added bonus, but birds are wonderful pets without that. After all, do dogs talk? How you handle your bird will have a great deal to do with your relationship with it for years to come. Birds never forget being abused. This is another good reason not to get a wild bird. Their first memory of people will be that of abuse and separation. Buy a bird from a breeder, or know who the breeder is if you buy from a pet shop. Visit the breeder to see the operation and to be sure birds have been reared in a clean and healthy, hands-on environment. It will make all the difference to your future with that animal. Handle the bird on several occasions before you take it home. Don’t buy a large bird as your first bird. Start small until you know what you’re doing. Remember, buying a wild-caught bird will eventually destroy the bird population. Have you seen any macaws in the wild lately?
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