Getting the full story.
Paris Yves is trying to get people in Australia to stop breeding and keeping birds, as you would expect this has not make her popular with Australian aviculturists. I like to look at all claims made by people with an open mind and then do my own research to see if those claims can hold water. I’m happy to say that most of what Paris Yves has said about the hobby of bird keeping in Australia is wrong and I don’t believe that Paris is qualified to give advice to anyone about birds. I have written a blog about Paris’s qualifications or lack thereof.
In this post I will be reviewing a media release from Parrot Production written by Paris Yves called ‘Bird group at Warragul breach code of practice’ dated July 25th 2014. I did submit some questions to Paris about this via email as I wanted to make sure I got the facts correct but I’ve had no response. I also tried to contact her on Facebook but also got no reply.
The first paragraph is “Gippsland Cage Bird Society Companion Bird Breeders, Traders, Exhibitors and Experts, breached the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Victorian Bird Welfare & Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds, at their Bird Sale at Warragul on 20 July 2014”. Later in the media release Paris list a few of these breaches which we will get to soon.
Another paragraph reads "The Code of Practice for Bird Sales pamphlet provided at the Warragul Sale was not implemented and monitored by the organiser’s stewards, who should have been in continuous attendance at the venue". I’ve helped out with a few Victorian sales and not all the stewards get to wear a bright orange vest with Stewart written on it.
There is normally a head steward and the other club members/stewards are also watching what is going on around the venue. If they see anything that is not right they will sort it out. I don’t believe Paris has proof to back up here claims that the stewards were not monitoring the sale.
The last line makes it sound like all the stewards left at some time to go for a coffee up the road. I can say from experience with helping to run many events, not just bird sale that there are always people from the organising group at the event and they are watching.
Now we are at the list of breaches that Paris says “Reflected the same welfare code breaches as the Mornington Peninsula Avicultural Society Bird Expo at Skye on 25 May 2014”. I will cover all 8 so called breaches and explain what was most likely happening.
In this post I will be reviewing a media release from Parrot Production written by Paris Yves called ‘Bird group at Warragul breach code of practice’ dated July 25th 2014. I did submit some questions to Paris about this via email as I wanted to make sure I got the facts correct but I’ve had no response. I also tried to contact her on Facebook but also got no reply.
The first paragraph is “Gippsland Cage Bird Society Companion Bird Breeders, Traders, Exhibitors and Experts, breached the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Victorian Bird Welfare & Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds, at their Bird Sale at Warragul on 20 July 2014”. Later in the media release Paris list a few of these breaches which we will get to soon.
Another paragraph reads "The Code of Practice for Bird Sales pamphlet provided at the Warragul Sale was not implemented and monitored by the organiser’s stewards, who should have been in continuous attendance at the venue". I’ve helped out with a few Victorian sales and not all the stewards get to wear a bright orange vest with Stewart written on it.
There is normally a head steward and the other club members/stewards are also watching what is going on around the venue. If they see anything that is not right they will sort it out. I don’t believe Paris has proof to back up here claims that the stewards were not monitoring the sale.
The last line makes it sound like all the stewards left at some time to go for a coffee up the road. I can say from experience with helping to run many events, not just bird sale that there are always people from the organising group at the event and they are watching.
Now we are at the list of breaches that Paris says “Reflected the same welfare code breaches as the Mornington Peninsula Avicultural Society Bird Expo at Skye on 25 May 2014”. I will cover all 8 so called breaches and explain what was most likely happening.
1. There was no food or water available to some birds.
Without more information it’s impossible to say why some birds didn’t have food or water. Was Paris there when they were still setting up? The Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds does say “Food and water should be provided if transport is longer than two hours. Water should not be placed in a container during transport unless it is in a non-spill container.” so the birds that Pairs viewed without food and water may have just arrived or might have been on there way to there new home. Sometimes the water and food can be hidden from view and without a close look you can think there is no water and food, I done this before.
Without more information it’s impossible to say why some birds didn’t have food or water. Was Paris there when they were still setting up? The Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds does say “Food and water should be provided if transport is longer than two hours. Water should not be placed in a container during transport unless it is in a non-spill container.” so the birds that Pairs viewed without food and water may have just arrived or might have been on there way to there new home. Sometimes the water and food can be hidden from view and without a close look you can think there is no water and food, I done this before.
2. The hygiene standard of many bird cages was very poor.
Anyone trying to put a bird in a cage or bring a bird to the sale in a cage would be stopped and the rule of “no cages allow” would be explained to them, so I don’t see how “many” cages would be at, not just one but two sales.
Anyone trying to put a bird in a cage or bring a bird to the sale in a cage would be stopped and the rule of “no cages allow” would be explained to them, so I don’t see how “many” cages would be at, not just one but two sales.
3. Some of the boxes/cages were dirty and bird food was placed under perches, on the ground mixing with the bird's faeces.
Again with the cages, maybe Paris doesn’t see the difference between a box and cage? A bird selling box has three solid side and one wire with a solid top and bottom. A cage would be anything with more than one side wire including the top or bottom.
We have no information about what Paris means when she says they were “dirty”. Was it just dust? Were there stain on the inside of the box that didn’t come off then it was washed?
When feed in place in a container for the bird they do like to spread it around so feed will end up on the ground and the ground is also where the bird’s droppings end up. There are some birds, like finches that don’t like to feed from the containers and will die if food in not place on the ground. No aviculturists would deliberately place food under the perch.
Again with the cages, maybe Paris doesn’t see the difference between a box and cage? A bird selling box has three solid side and one wire with a solid top and bottom. A cage would be anything with more than one side wire including the top or bottom.
We have no information about what Paris means when she says they were “dirty”. Was it just dust? Were there stain on the inside of the box that didn’t come off then it was washed?
When feed in place in a container for the bird they do like to spread it around so feed will end up on the ground and the ground is also where the bird’s droppings end up. There are some birds, like finches that don’t like to feed from the containers and will die if food in not place on the ground. No aviculturists would deliberately place food under the perch.
4. Birds were physically and emotionally distressed.
I don’t know what Pairs means or how you can tell the emotional state of a bird that you have only just seen. I wish Pairs would respond to my email.
I don’t know what Pairs means or how you can tell the emotional state of a bird that you have only just seen. I wish Pairs would respond to my email.
5. Birds were cramped in corners due to fear.
Some species are more prone to this behavior than others, Lovebird and Budgies do it a lot. If you go along and have a look for yourself you will see that most birds are relaxed and some seem to be enjoying the day. This behavior of all piling into a corner may only last for a few minutes before the birds go back to normal behavior. It might be from a fear response but fear is not always a bad thing. I fear getting hit by cars so I look both ways before crossing a road.
Some species are more prone to this behavior than others, Lovebird and Budgies do it a lot. If you go along and have a look for yourself you will see that most birds are relaxed and some seem to be enjoying the day. This behavior of all piling into a corner may only last for a few minutes before the birds go back to normal behavior. It might be from a fear response but fear is not always a bad thing. I fear getting hit by cars so I look both ways before crossing a road.
6. Some birds were housed in small boxes/cages which fit the bird exactly- some of the larger birds could not walk comfortably or stretch their wings - flying was not an option for most birds.
No bird are housed at a bird sale, the sales last from 2-4 hours and I’ve seen them over in just 90 minutes. For most of the birds this will be their first and last sale as once sold they will be taken to their new home and housed in aviaries. Some of the long lived birds may be back at a sale later in life when their owner is no longer able to take care of them or they don’t have the space anymore to keep them.
The selling boxes are designed with the safety of the birds in mind and are made to comply with the Code of Practice. Birds can pick up speed quickly so a box that stops birds from flying is a good idea when transporting birds. People also need to remember that when most of these birds are nesting they are inside boxes for hours at a time over many weeks so a few hours in a selling box without the ability to fly should not harm them.
No bird are housed at a bird sale, the sales last from 2-4 hours and I’ve seen them over in just 90 minutes. For most of the birds this will be their first and last sale as once sold they will be taken to their new home and housed in aviaries. Some of the long lived birds may be back at a sale later in life when their owner is no longer able to take care of them or they don’t have the space anymore to keep them.
The selling boxes are designed with the safety of the birds in mind and are made to comply with the Code of Practice. Birds can pick up speed quickly so a box that stops birds from flying is a good idea when transporting birds. People also need to remember that when most of these birds are nesting they are inside boxes for hours at a time over many weeks so a few hours in a selling box without the ability to fly should not harm them.
7. Some larger birds such as the Eclectus parrots, were unable to turn around comfortable in their small cage.
I think my response to number 6 covers this one too.
I think my response to number 6 covers this one too.
8. The high decibel level from the public resulted in birds feeling distressed, unsafe and unable to rest as is required throughout the day.
Most of the sales only last about 2 hours with most people being in and out in the first hour. The birds are not going to want to sleep as they have so many new sound and sights to see before they leave the sale. I do a few bird displays at local agricultural shows and I remember the first time I did it I took my hand raised Cockatiel named “Spike”. I had decided that during the day I would move him to a quiet place so he could have a rest but on the day he just wanted to talk to every person that was walking by. On the drive home he did have a nap but he also seem to have enjoy his day out. Some bird will not like being at the sales but as I said earlier most of the bird only go to one sale before they end up at a new home where they have a large aviary and a partner.
Most of the sales only last about 2 hours with most people being in and out in the first hour. The birds are not going to want to sleep as they have so many new sound and sights to see before they leave the sale. I do a few bird displays at local agricultural shows and I remember the first time I did it I took my hand raised Cockatiel named “Spike”. I had decided that during the day I would move him to a quiet place so he could have a rest but on the day he just wanted to talk to every person that was walking by. On the drive home he did have a nap but he also seem to have enjoy his day out. Some bird will not like being at the sales but as I said earlier most of the bird only go to one sale before they end up at a new home where they have a large aviary and a partner.
This media release was written by Paris Yves to get people to join her campaign to stop people from keeping and breeding birds but what people need to know is the information that aviculturists learn and share is used by people from all over the world to save endangered species.
References:
Media Release
Parrot Productions
Aviculturists work to save endangered species
References:
Media Release
Parrot Productions
Aviculturists work to save endangered species
