The Ethical Problems Of Being A Parrot Breeder
Parrots around the world are facing extinction in the wild. This is entirely due to man destroying their habitat and food supplies as well as removing incredible numbers for the pet trade - both legal and illegal. Since it is now illegal in America and Europe to import wild specimens of parrots, the only way you can get a pet parrot is by going to parrot breeders. Parrot breeders also supply many pet stores.
Who Should Get The Bird?
Sadly, it took a very long time for people to realize that parrots make lousy pets. This is partly because they either die immediately or live as long as a human. Winston Churchill was said to have a parrot named Charlie that was over 100 and swore like a soldier. And parrots are high-maintenance pets with very special needs. They are also smarter than most people and wind up getting into trouble that way.
This brings up the first big ethical problem for modern parrot breeders - only a tiny percentage of human beings that have parrots as pets SHOULD have parrots as pets. Parrots usually wind up being abandoned sooner or later. If you are going to be a parrot breeder, you have to find responsible homes for the babies. This means offering to take the bird back at any point in the future if you are still alive.
What Do We Do With The Birds Now?
Although some species of parrot like the hyacinth macaw is near extinction (even in captivity), there just aren't enough homes for all of the hyacinth macaws that are in captivity. Many parrot breeders only become accidental parrot breeders when they take birds in as a rescue and suddenly the stork arrives for their parrots.
Clearly the birds already in captivity need to be taken care of now. But what about their descendants? In some places like South America, Amazon parrot breeders hope to actually raise some young birds to fend for themselves and release them back into the wild where they never should have been taken from in the first place.
However, the plans are not widely supported by parrot breeders in America, partially because they are worried that their hand-raised birds would wind up in a cooking pot. In the meantime, good parrot breeders are trying to curtail sales to pet stores and help hand-pick the owners of the chicks they raise. They also hope that with contracts and education, they can help more people who want parrots able to actually take care of a parrot.
