(IN) Bird Show Article

[Guest guest]

*Hi,*

* This article was written by me on a bird show in Kolkata four years ago.

May be of some relevance.*

*Regards,*

**

* *

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*shubhobroto ghosh

To:

BIRD EXHIBITION

Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:13:06 +0000

 

 

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* REPORT ON BIRD EXHIBITION AT COLLEGE SQUARE, KOLKATA *

 

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* An exhibition of birds is being held at College Square grounds by the All

Bengal Bird Lovers Asscociation. The exhibition was visited by an

independent animal welfare investigator for Compassionate Crusaders Trust on

25th December, 2004. This report outlines the observations.*

 

* The exhibition is being held in a marquee much like the traveling zoos

that were common in fairgrounds until recently. There was a very long queue

and it took quite a while to get in. Books on birds and veterinary medicine

were sold on the premises of College Square near the marquee. *

 

* The marquee had rows of small cages, almost none of them larger than two

foot by two foot, and most even smaller. A number of foreign

birdspecies(the word exotic has been avoided since exotic can also be

applied to

indigenous bird species) were on show. The birds were under the constant

glare of light bulbs that were used to illuminate the cages. It would be

safe to posit the birds were under duress due to the light and the shrill

and relentless noise from the crowd.*

 

* Bird species exhibited included Golden Pheasant, Ring Necked Pheasant,

Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Lovebird species, African Gray Parrot, Kakariki

parrot(from New Zealand), Red Rumped Parrot, Conure Species, Moluccan

Cockatoo, Domestic pigeon, Canary, Bengalese Finch, Zebra Finch, Gouldian

Finch, Henck�s Finch and Lutino, Blue and White specimens of Ring Necked

Parakeet. *

 

* The Moluccan Cockatoo was incarcerated in a cage that did not allow the

bird to indulge in any movement apart from sitting on a perch. All the cages

seemed inadequate for the behavioural requirements of the birds, specially

flight. Large species of parrots, like African Gray Parrots and Cockatoos,

that are inquisitive in nature, get extremely bored in captivity, and

develop habits like plucking of feathers and head bobbing. Well known

scientists like Konrad Lorenz have commented on the restrictions imposed on

such animals in captivity and have spoken against these highly unnatural

conditions. *

 

* The cages were labeled with the description of prize winners like first,

second and third. There was one cage, extremely small, that was ensconced

among flower bouquets as a decorative measure! There was a single Gouldian

Finch inside with no room to move around at all.*

 

* It is deemed all right by the Forest Department to have such an exhibition

since the birds are of foreign origin, but there can be several questions

raised. The Ring Necked Parakeets, two white, two blue and three lutino, are

mutants of the Ring Necked Parakeet that is found in the wild in India. It

is illegal to capture and exhibit this species. The mutant specimens,

although of a different colour, belong to the same species and should

logically fall under the same ambit of the law. Mutants are variants of the

same species. Just like a white tiger is not a different species, the mutant

Ring Necked Parakeets are also variants of the green Ring Necked Parakeets

found in the wild. The change in colour is due to artificial selection

caused by selective breeding and is also common in budgerigars which

come ina variety of colours although they all belong to one species.

*

 

* There are a few overriding concerns that can be raised on the exhibition

: *

 

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*1) What is the purpose of the exhibition? The prominent British zoo owner

John Aspinall commented that no animal holding in his famed zoo at Howletts

was ever called an �exhibit� since he believed that no animal species had

evolved to �exhibit� itself as an object of curiosity to the human species.

In the case of the bird exhibition, regardless of the origin of the birds,

they remain �wild� animals, that is, they are not domesticated by man, not

even budgerigars. In the same vein, what is the exhibition promoting ? The

enforced captivity of animals that are meant to fly and inspect logs and

escape predators and gather in groups to socialize in trees? If the

exhibition intends to focus on the welfare of the birds, as indeed appears

to be the message, then the captivity and exhibition concept run contrary to

that objective.*

 

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*2) The exhibition displayed a banner enumerating species of birds that

are regulated by the CITES convention. Ironically, it might be that some of

the bird species exhibited have been obtained in defiance of the same

convention.*

 

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*3) The single greatest threat to the existence of wild parrot species is

the international bird cartel that trades in live birds. Thousands and even

more, perish on the journey to reach �bird lovers� around the world. The

Spix�s Macaw of Brazil went extinct in the wild solely due to the greed of

collectors and �bird lovers�. It can be reasonably suggested with a fair

degree of certitude that the caged birds promote and encourage the

trade inwild birds since there is no copper bottomed methodology to

ascertain the

origin of these birds.*

 

* *

 

*4) The exhibition asserted the need to protect wild birds. Ironically,

captivity represents one of the greatest threats to the existence of parrot

species.*

 

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*5) The term �bird lover� when applied to people who cage birds is absurd.

Why would a person want to imprison birds if he loved them?*

 

* *

 

*6) Apart from legal issues, the ethical issue of housing animals

ininadequate conditions, and that too for exhibition purposes, is an

important

one. Any animal, indigenous or foreign, is entitled to basic care under

human supervision when confined in captivity. The bird exhibition does not

seem to measure to this basic requirement. The pheasants had their plumes

all twisted because of inadequate space. Surely, that cannot be a symbol of

�loving� birds?*

 

*7) The exhibition might encourage people unaware of the law to keep

indigenous species of birds. **It is the plea of the investigator that

the forest department and animal welfare agencies put an end to such

exhibition of animals for purely entertainment purposes. During the visit,

there was neither the time or scope to make detailed observations or take

copious notes so the observations are limited in nature. Signboards

displayed inadequate and inaccurate information on the bird species

displayed. It is the conclusion of the investigator that any discerning

individual would find nothing educational in such an exhibition and would

come out depressed at such a vulgar show to serve human curiosity. *