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Home > News & Events > MAARSianChronicles > Issue 13: August 2005 > Take Action for Avian Welfare: Invaders or Victims? / Help the WPT to Ban the Importation of Wild-caught Birds Into the EU

Take Action for Avian Welfare

European Starlings were released in Central Park in New York in 1890 and 1891 and quickly spread through much of the United States.

Invaders or Victims?

by Monica Engebretson, Senior Program Coordinator, Animal Protection Institute, for Satya Magazine

"In dealing with conflicts involving naturalized, feral or 'invasive' animals, it is important to remember that irresponsible human actions are usually the true cause of the problem. We must ensure that our policies toward such animals are not equally irresponsible. Birds, whether native or not, should not pay the price for our mistakes."

In this article, Monica Engebretson dispels some common myths about non-native bird species such as European Starlings, Common Pigeons, and Quaker (Monk) Parakeets. She also explores humane, non-lethal solutions that can make an area unattractive to birds, thereby reducing bird presence to an acceptable level.

Click here to read more about the perceptions and management of invasive exotic birds in the August 2005 issue of Satya Magazine…

Trappers removing wild caught African Grey Parrots from a trap in central Africa. Between 1995 and 1999 a total of 175,000 wild African Grey Parrots were legally traded.

Photo ©1997 Diana May,
World Parrot Trust

Help the WPT to Ban the Importation of Wild-caught Birds Into the EU

by World Parrot Trust

The World Parrot Trust is asking those who care about parrots and other birds to sign a petition encouraging the European Union to ban the importation of wild-caught birds. The EU has now become the largest importer of wild-caught birds and the existing legislation in Europe is ineffective at stopping the inhumane and unsustainable harvesting of these wild birds.

Click here to learn more and to add your voice to thousands of others in support of the WPT's goal of allowing wild birds to remain where they belong…in the wild.

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