SPCA "Regulations"

[Enko_chan]

I am so furious at the moment, I can barely type.

My friend and hand-feeding mentor has been going through something very ugly because of a vendetta. To make a long story short, she discovered some very unhealthy circumstances that a person kept their birds in, and made reasonable requests for the person to stop hoarding, clean cages, get bigger cages, stop hybridizing rare species, stop selling hybrid species as something they are not etc. anyhow, I am not here to gossip or describe birds living in squalor, we know it happens all the time and is very upsetting. My mentor ended up telling some of her colleagues in the aviary world about the state of this woman's aviary, and the word got back to her about it.

Anyhow, in retaliation this person called the SPCA and reported that my mentor, sorry but I do not want to get into names here, was hoarding birds. Now, she has a variety of birds, but by no means hoards. She is an excellent breeder and hand feeder, and her birds have top notch housing, diets, care etc. I would entrust any of my birds to her without a worry, should heaven forbid, I be unable to care for them. Anyhow, among other nit-picking but costly changes she had to make the avian veterinarian threatened that her aviary would FAIL the inspection and her birds would be confiscated and taken to a rescue if she did not FEED ALL OF HER BIRDS a 90% PELLET DIET!! Now, she has LORIKEETS, parrotlets, and other birds that absolutely do not tolerate a high percentage diet, not that I think any birds should eat such a high pelleted percentage. They are also forcing her to take down her quaker colony, claiming that quakers don't colony breed. >: Is it my imagination, or are quakers one of the most famous examples of colony breeders? I am not talking about large colonies of quaker parrots as there are in the wild, either.

These people are being ridiculous. It brings tears to my eyes to hear what this person is going through. Between her and Linda, I have learned more about caring for birds in the past 2 years than I did in a lifetime of keeping parrots... and if her aviary isn't up to code, neither are any other aviaries I have ever been to or seen photographs of.

I just wanted to tell you all that anyone who keeps birds is subject to this kind of onslaught, should these agencies ever be sicced on you. Their regulations are appalling. What is MORE appalling, is that people complained for months about that horror show in Colorado that was taken down recently, with the forty macaws, cockatoos, pigeons and dogs... starving, living in squalor, all very sick and injured with their poor feet falling off in the rescuers hands... but within days of this other hoarder threatening to report my mentor, the SPCA is making a surprise inspection.

I am having a really tough time accepting that there are people out there who could take my birds away because I refuse to feed them what I believe to be a toxic diet.

[linda040899]

Kristi,
Quakers ARE colony breeders!!! They are famous for the huge community nests that they build in the wild. Just last year, CT was killing Quaker colonies because of where they were taking up housekeeping!!!

Anyone who thinks HSUS or ASPCA is our friends had better think again. They've made pacts with PETA and we are now seeing the results. The breeder's avian vet may have some influence regarding the diet. Some vets are not pro-pellet anymore and a letter stating that 90% pellets is toxic/dangerous to the breeder's birds might possibly go a long way. It's very easy to make a pet owner's life miserable out of vengence and it can also get very expensive! PETA counts on that fact and wins as a result.

It might be worth talking to a lawyer and getting some legal advice. It really distresses me when I read something like this!

[personatus]

It's the same in the UK. Everyone goes on about reporting animal abuse to the RSPCA and how good they are, but very few know the truth of what goes on with them, pfff, they have to be the biggest bunch of muppets walking the face of the earth...including their vets. Won't go into detail but yeah, this world is a crazy, crazy place at times and sadly there don't seem to be much we can do about it.

Can't let a vet that clearly don't have a clue what he's on about dictate how she cares for her birds. I would ask him what he's been smoking then maybe find some legal advise....then once it's all sorted make a claim for the expenses occured, compensation for time and stress etc, you know, pretty much rinse them for everything possible. WE SHALL FIGHT THEM ON THE BEACHES! As a wise man once said :D

[dieflying]

i am appalled. how can you claim to be for animals when you don't even know the basics on feeding them? i sincerely hope your friend can get some help. wouldn't it be great if she could get an animal-loving lawyer? drag that agency over the coals.

[linda040899]

Bottom line truth is that I will support a legitimate 501c rescue group before HSUS or ASPCA. These 2 groups put their own agendas ahead of the welfare of animals and I have a HUGE problem with that! PETA is a very wealthy group and when they support agencies such as HSUS/ASPCA, they are the source of funding.

[Enko_chan]

I am so sick about this... to potentially displace 15 (because that's how many permanent residents there are in this "hoarder's" aviary- breeders, tame pairs, plus one singleton "pet") well-loved, well-fed, and well-housed birds over bureaucratic hooey and PETA agendas is so... ugh! Despicable. Unconscionable. Even if she makes all of the required changes, they still want her to rehome 5 of her birds. Why should they want this? There is plenty of room! They're clean! Their cages are palaces with plenty of activity! They would prefer these birds go to a rescue and wait years for someone to want to adopt them? Many of them are tame, even some of the breeders, but what about the ones that are aviary birds? These people clearly are in love with their power, and have no clue what they're doing. I know that the folk running the show feel that NO ONE should have animal companions, and use such opportunities to further such agendas. Its abuse of power, and worse, a terrible disservice to animals that are treated as well as any human family member!

She is terrified, and with good reason, that fighting this will cause her to lose her birds. It makes me sick. There really are plenty of mistreated animals out there, and they put this amount of time, effort, and resources in harassing a good woman who takes exemplary care of the birds. This is her livelihood! All she does is breed, raise, and care for birds. She has a second aviary in her home, separate from her own birds, where she takes in other breeders' birds to handfeed. She has a very good reputation locally, and a lot of people are upset about this, but I have no doubt that this will damage her business.

What's even worse is that I just started reading some of the e-mails from the past week about another bird group, and I have a friend in Canada who breeds birds, and is going through something very similar. This crap is happening all over. Its a similar deal, someone who never even saw her aviary reported her out of spite, and now she's dealing with the Canadian SPCA authorities, facing similar accusations and asinine "codes". I have never seen her aviary personally, though I have seen photographs, but she knows her stuff and is a stickler about cage size and good diets! She only has 13 birds and they're asking her to reduce the numbers to 12! What is wrong with these people?! Like a beloved pet bird is just one number too many... grrrr!

Speaking of, who knew that there was so much intrigue and back-stabbing involved in the avian culture community? You'd think we were in middle-school, here! Not meaning any offense to our younger members, as you all are considerably more mature than a person who would put another person's birds, and livelihood at risk to get back at them. Disgusting!

[CompassionAk]

This is so wrong!Anyone with half a brain knows you don't feed a Lori 90 % pellets!I wonder if she could get some avian vets to sign a petition stating that Loris do no eat this diet and that Quakers do indeed live in a colony?I don't know that there is anything I can do to help here but if there is let me know.

[dieflying]

yeah, what if she complies letters from vets, takes photos of her aviary, gets signatures from people who know her work? really present her case? i know heartless agencies probably will want to turn a blind eye to those things, but maybe she can sway SOMEONE? i wish there were more we could do. i wish we could all be there in person to fight with her!

[Enko_chan]

I'm not sure about the US situation... but my friend in Canada who is facing SPCA inspection, just found out that the vet involved in her inspection is neither an avian or exotics vet, nor is she certified. Does this seem right to anyone?

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I just saw this thread... horrifying!

Is there anyway the breeder could take this to the local press? Both televsion & newspaper? Invite them into her home to film the cages/conditions, sit & interview about how much she cares for her birds and how stressful/vendetta-filled the "inspection" feels.. and what could potentially happen to the birds if forced to make the changes the aspca wants?

Drum up public support/awareness.

[linda040899]

my friend in Canada who is facing SPCA inspection, just found out that the vet involved in her inspection is neither an avian or exotics vet, nor is she certified. Does this seem right to anyone?
No, this does not seem right and she may be able to demand a board certified avian vet become involved. Birds are very different than cats, dogs, poultry and farm animals. Avian vets become board certified AFTER they are already veterinarians.

[akira-shakira-the bruce]

This is truly sickening to me as well, and the part about the vet p*sses me off so much. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

[Enko_chan]

Linda,
I will pass that info on to both people I know of who are dealing with this. If there's something they CAN do, that will hold up in any court, it seems that demanding a qualified veterinarian make the calls is one of them.

I do hate getting involved in drama, but I think all bird lovers should know that this sort of thing can happen... and any ideas about dealing with it could save these good peoples' aviaries, and eventually help others who face similar situations (God forbid) in the future.

[linda040899]

There have been any number of cases such as this in the past. Fighting an agency such as ASPCA can be costly and time consuming but bird owners have done so and won.

One important aspect can be public awareness. If ASPCA is overstepping their bounds, they want to do it quietly lest they fall from public favor. Being viewed negatively in the public eye will cost them funding and that's something they want to avoid. Despite all their tear jerking TV ads pleading for donations, I won't support them because of things like this. Ditto to HSUS.

[Enko_chan]

I agree with you 100%. People have asked me before how I could be so against PETA, HSUS, ASPCA when I am an animal lover who was a vegan for over a decade. (more for health than moral reasons, but despite leaving my vegetarianism behind a few years ago, I am still very particular about the way an animal lived and died before I eat its meat etc.)

Its one of those things that many folk wish they hadn't asked me, but its also something that I feel very strongly about and an issue that so many people have no idea exists.

Its entirely possible to be a lover of animals and have completely different ideals within that subject, and even if the ideals match- the means of working toward those ideals are what I have an extra large problem with.

I feel that these organizations have become largely about publicity and money- and working toward the ultimate agenda of eliminating animal companionship with human beings entirely. They KNOW that to the public this would not be popular, so they politic around it, but make no mistake- that IS what they're after. The leader of PETA has a pathological need for attention and has openly admitted that what she loves most about running the organization is the publicity. Like you said, PETA is pulling the strings of HSUS and ASPCA, and apparently other countries' SPCA as well, so they all end up painted with the same brush. PETA puts out fragrantly fraudulent information about anyone they dislike, shamelessly so, and they make any cry for animal rights appear hokey and dramatic. So many people immediately think of PETA when they hear about animal rights or rescues and that is so unfortunate for so many reasons.

I think its great that people care enough about animals to make donations, but I wish that more of it went to the underfunded organizations whose purpose it really IS to help preserve dying species and their habitats, and to rescue animals that are in abusive situations.

I will say no more about this, before I end up causing trouble.

I will let you all know how things turn out with these two open cases.

[Pips mom]

Drum up public support/awareness.

I agree with this idea! I've seen it work in some other situations with animals.

[momo]

seriously take it to the press....if you want to get anything done.. bring the media in.

[bird-brain]

Oh this is just awful! I have actually been in a situation with the ASPCA with my dogs over a stalking vindictive ex-husband. He reported to authorities that I had moved and abandoned my animals in the house. Of course they came out at noon while I was at work???????? Did not call, leave a notice to call them, BROKE into my home and removed my dog. There was kibble in the bowl and water in the dish, it was a collie without a mat in his beautiful shiney coat! Because they broke into my home, they actually filed a police report that said the dog was so weak from starvation he had to "crawl on his belly" to the truck. The thing that saved me was that two days prior we had our annual vet visit so there was a current healthy weight, labwork etc on file. The worst part was that he told them there was a dog and a cat, to this day I have no idea where my cat hid out but they ransacked my home looking for my cat. Complete idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really hope your friend is able to get past all of this.

[Enko_chan]

I am so, so sorry bird-brain. That is sick. They want to make all people with pets seem like monsters.

Well, one of my friends is out of the woods with this situation. The one in the US had her avian vet step in, and she is keeping her entire aviary. This did cost her several thousand dollars in unnecessary repairs, lawyers, vets and changes, but she is keeping her aviary.

Thank goodness for qualified vets, eh?

The one in Canada is having an on-going problem, in part because she is dealing with a debilitating illness, just had major surgery and does not have the energy to care for her birds AND fight this. Thank goodness, her sister and son, who help her keep this aviary going during her harder times, are doing what they can. I'll keep you all updated.

[bird-brain]

Very glad to hear that one of your friends is past this. I certainly hope we hear the same abot the other soon!

[Enko_chan]

Re: Canadian SPCA and the ongoing issue...

She has been asked to take down and replace all cages made from wood and mesh.

Now, my first thought is that yes, wood is impossible to sanitize the way that an all plastic/metal cage is, and some wire/mesh may be made from dangerous metals... but hers are not. All their cages were designed and built in the home, with full knowledge and consideration of bird-safe metals.

Now, I just flipped through every single aviary in my bookmarks. A lot of these peoples are considered authorities in the world of aviculture, and many of them regularly win bird shows... almost every single aviary consisted of some wood and mesh homemade cages.

Am I off the mark, or is this kind of cage used regularly and safely by responsible people who keep birds?

Well, she is changing the situation with the quakers- as ridiculous as it may be, replacing homemade cages and putting an extra bowl of the recommended pellets in ADDITION to the other offered foods in the birds' cages. Hopefully this will make a difference. With qualified veterinary and legal advice she has compiled research and citations, letters from colleagues, etc. and presented her case, but most of the people involved feel like it is falling on deaf ears.

She is afraid to make a media buzz because of her state of health and as much as she wants to make a difference, she is more interested in ending this quietly and keeping all of her birds. I understand this completely.