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Learn about your pet parrot!Archive for January, 2007
What you can do to encourage protection of wild birds.
Dear Wild Bird Supporters
We need your help to create a permanent ban on wild caught birds.
Years ago, you were kind enough to sign a petition to ask the EU to stop importing wild birds. The response was overwhelming and on World Parrot Day 2004, we delivered that petition with 30,000 signatures to the Prime Minister’s home at 10 Downing Street in London.
Your help today could make the ban permanent.
This past Friday, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced his decision to call for a permanent ban on wild bird imports to the EU, and that the UK government will now work with other Member States to ensure such imports to the EU are stopped for good.
To thank him for his decision, for his leadership, and to encourage follow up work on this initiative, we are now urging all supporters to send thank you cards to Prime Minister Blair.
If he receives many thousands of UNIQUE thank you cards from all over the world, we feel this can help him understand that he has made the right choice and that getting a permanent import ban at the EU level is a worthy and achievable goal.
So please take a minute to send him a hand written and unique thank you card, ideally with a beautiful bird on it! Here are some suggestions to obtain the best impact:
Keep your message short and clear. E.G.: “thank you for helping to save wild birds,” or “thank you for helping to end EU wild bird imports.”
Opt for unique; no form letters or pre-printed post cards.
Keep the messages positive and personal.
Encourage children, friends, and anyone else you can think of to do the same.
Address your cards to:
Prime Minister Tony Blair
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA
United Kingdom
Thank you again for taking the time to sign the petition in the past, and for taking a few minutes today to drop a card in the mail to help make this dream a reality.
All best wishes,
James D. Gilardi, Ph.D., Director
The World Parrot Trust
Glanmor House
Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4HB
Reason #1 why you should not get a parrot
Parrots are pretty amazing animals. There just seems to be a natural attraction between humans and these creatures. And why not? They can talk for one thing! And they can speak in your language! And sometimes they have accents (as I discovered when I went to Australia). They are brilliant creatures. They are also very beautiful animals too. So why shouldn’t I get one?
Reason 1: Where did it come from?
Are you buying a bird from a reputable breeder, or from the parrot equivilant of a puppy mill? Be sure to find out where the bird came from and what sort of practices the breeder adheres to. Are you buying an unweaned baby? Or are you buying an old bird?
What if your bird has been poached directly from the wild?
Answer. Buy from a reputable breeder. Ask your pet store where they get their birds from. Ask them if they follow the standards of care from the World Parrot Welfare Alliance.
