by Tony Edwards
Security has always been a big issue with keeping parrots, bearing in mind how much they cost, and how much they can sell for. With the nanny state spreading through the western world, life is getting easier for bird thieves as the authorities seem to give less and less emphasis on what is considered low-grade crime. And with investment in the police service at an all time low, we just don’t seem to have enough police officers to deal with burglaries and break-ins, especially those stealing livestock. However, in the UK there has for the first time been a move to upgrade and consider the emotional value of an animal and owner, as well as its monetary value. As to date, animals are classed as ‘goods’ the same as car parts.
We are now seeing increased crime in all areas of life, as it seems criminals can just break in, walk into shops, help themselves with goods they have no intention to pay for, and knowing that the chances of getting caught are very slim. And if they are apprehended and caught, some of the sentences given out are nothing more than a joke, with some who have been convicted being required to carry out unpaid community work, which they never intend to carry out. For more serious crimes that are slightly higher up the ladder, offenders don’t appear to get more than a suspended sentence.
The reduction in policing and the lack of effective sentencing gives out a clear message to prospective criminals that crime can pay, encouraging it to increase, which puts our birds at risk. This means that we all have to be a lot more vigilant and security conscious to stop the criminals from just walking into our homes and properties, and taking what they want. Forget for a moment the monetary value of your birds and consider the trauma and heartache when loved and cherished pets are snatched away and valuable collections are destroyed. Of course, the microchip is a valuable part of identity, but only if your bird is recovered and the owner is sought. But because of their high value, and possibly stolen to order, your birds probably won’t be seen again, and the grief suffered by owners can be immense.
Buy Now!
Complete Psittacine by Eb Cravens
I often wonder about the mental capacity changes we are producing in our domesticated psittacines as we breed and keep them one generation after another in human pet homes. After all, these birds are representatives of species that were formerly living in jungles and savannas around the world, but now are housed and reproduced nearly everywhere in captivity.
All ethical questions set aside about whether or not any kinds of birds should continually be kept in cages, the deeper issues surrounding this ‘domestication’ experiment touch on whether some 70 years more or less of concentrated captive breeding efforts have in fact significantly succeeded in taming our wild hookbill companions. Personally I think not, and I even have a number of lingering mandible–induced scars on my hands and shoulders to illustrate my point. I guess breeder psittacine pair nest-tending and casual human handling do not always mix very well!
Oh, there are loads of tame and trained cockatiels and budgerigars, not so many lovebirds I deem, that exhibit all the indications of being truly domesticated. But much of this relates directly to the way they are housed, fed and handled (extruded pellets, ‘step up,’ and wing clipping anyone?) and not always to the innate instinctive natures of the parrots themselves. And for every calm, well-tamed pet psittacine, one can usually go to the other end of the spectrum and find an example of a Chattering Lory, Mitred Conure, Port Lincoln or Hawk-headed Parrot that daily displays all the characteristics of incorrigibility, self-importance, and acute resistance to most fashions of human domestication. ’Nuff said.
Buy Now!
by Rosemary Low
Cornwall never loses its appeal as a holiday destination. The scenery and surfing are without parallel in the UK and the gardens and other visitor attractions are superb. If you are lucky enough to go to Hayle in Cornwall you can feast your eyes on what is undoubtedly one of the best bird collections in the UK: Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary. In fact, I would say ‘the’ best, for the range of species, the breeding successes and the numbers of birds. Sadly, many zoos in the UK have reduced their bird collections so it is worth a long journey to visit this outstanding park.
The planting throughout is tasteful, mature and semi-tropical in this warmer climate. The gardens are designed to complement the exotic wildlife, and to provide nectar for native pollinators. Throughout most of the year they are a blaze of colour and blossom.
Paradise Park celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. It was opened in 1973 after some years of planning and hard work. Situated on Cornwall’s north coast, it is five miles from the holiday resort of St Ives and 17 miles from Land’s End. The park overlooks Hayle estuary, also of interest to bird lovers with waterfowl and waders easily viewed.
Buy Now!
The Holistic Parrot by Leslie Moran
Another common food that has been eaten and cultivated since before written history is cabbage. Belonging to the Brassica Family, cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) appears to have originated from wild plants growing along the European coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The common use of cabbage, first as a medicine and later as a food, appears to have gained its foothold in ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. The popularity of cabbage has made it one of the most commonly grown vegetables around the world in northern and southern temperate climate zones. According to the World Atlas, the top four cabbage producing countries are China (32,800,000 tons), India (8,500,000 tons), Russia (3,309,315 tons), and Japan (2,300,000 tons).
Cabbage varieties include white, red, savoy, and all types of ornamental heads. Chinese cabbage, also called pak choi, (Brassica rapa) is in the Brassica Family but is not a true cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.).
Cabbage is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, vitamins C and E and contains polyphenols, flavonoids, luteolin, myricetin, and quercetin that have powerful antioxidant properties. Historically cabbage has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome, and as a poultice for injuries.
Buy Now!
