Dear Parrots magazine,
Response to News
I want to respond to three news stories in the last issue (Parrots December 11). The first story was about a Mrs Hartley who takes her two Caiques on her skiing holidays, sitting in her pockets while she bombs down the slopes. I was horrified to read this story.
My husband has been skiing for as long as we have kept parrots, 40 years plus, so we know full well about all the hazards that come with skiing, it is a dangerous sport. Even experienced skiers have serious falls, and at times there are fatalities.
It is totally irresponsible to take these two parrots on the ski slope’s, it is abusing the trust that they have in Mrs Hartley. To take two helpless small parrots tucked into a coat pocket while she skies is shocking and I deplore such behaviour. It is a situation that will end in tears, if it continues, and raises welfare issues.
The second story was of a monkey that rides on the back of a Blue and Gold Macaw - is this supposed to be funny? I think not. One of the photographs that accompanied the story, showed a Macaw being held far too tightly around the neck by the monkey, to the extent, the Macaw was struggling to breath, it’s beak was open, eye slit and it looked as if it was struggling to cope with it’s rider. A nip or bite from the monkey, which is quite possible, could be fatal for the Macaw. This is another situation where the owner of these creatures is totally irresponsible and again it raises welfare issues.
The third story involves Performing Parrots. I have recently been staying in a Hotel on the Island of Gran Canaria, where the entertainment one evening at 9.30 pm was performing parrots. I was extremely unhappy about this type of entertainment in a Hotel and at a time when the parrots should have been in a sleep state. I did not watch this show and I expressed my concerns to the Hotel Manager as did the rep of the Travel Company we booked with. I heard a shriek from one of the performing Macaw’s and knew from the tone that it was stressed.
I do not like exploitation of any animal or bird, and performing parrots in my opinion sends out the wrong message to the general public. Parrots are highly intelligent and to make them look like a toy, and to use them for entertainment is an insult to such magnificent creatures that have evolved to fly. Most performing parrots are wing-clipped so trainers have control.
Sorry! I feel to train parrots to perform is very degrading to these highly intelligent creatures.
Pam Fryer - by email