SF Animal Control & Welfare Commission Meeting on a Proposal to Ban Pet Sales in SF: I Wouldn't Have Believed It
It was an amazing experience. I had gotten a little preview of what to expect with the "Protect Our Precious Animals" campaign launched by breeders the week before. If there was any truth in advertising, it would have to be titled "Protect Our Precious Profits" because it isn't at all about protecting animals. It is about protecting their right to sell animals. At least be honest about what you're doing. Really- hiding behind the skirts of the very animals who are being surrendered and euthanized makes the whole thing a little extra depraved.
Award-winning animal welfare journalist Mira Tweti (Author of Plenty to Squawk About and Of Parrots & People among others) volunteered to fly up and speak about the pet bird overpopulation crisis and the Commission put her on the agenda. She shared some background on parrots including flock behavior (never alone in their lives in the wild), cage requirements (far bigger than the vast majority get) and that the measure of an animal's "welfare" (according to UC Davis) is the match between its captive and its wild life. She supports the ban.
There were quite a few Mickaboo volunteers in attendance as well- including Cheryl, Chris, Susan, Jonathan, Gabe, Pam, Patricia, Kim, Karen and probably others that I'm forgetting (sorry). Susan submitted a copy of an interview of Mickaboo CEO Michelle Yesney to the Commission and Karen spoke in support of the ban as did I. There were even a few hardy folks who stayed for the whole thing to finally get their chance to comment as a member of the general public- including a couple against the ban and a couple for it.
Other supporters of the ban included In Defense of Animals ("Stop breeding, stop buying, adopt and rescue"), Marcy Schaaf, founding director of SaveABunny (who spoke about the importance and effectiveness of SF's ban on selling rabbits) and Teresa Murphy, founding director of Guinea Pig rescue Cavy Spirit.
It was interesting that those in support of the ban talked about animals and how very many there are in need of rescue and adoption.
And then Rick French, pet breeder and seller and owner of The Animal Company spoke but, instead of speaking against the ban which I could understand, he spoke against Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue. He attacked us- extremely dedicated, generous. hard-working RESCUE VOLUNTEERS spending HOURS and HOURS of our time to help abandoned, neglected, abused and/or surrendered pet birds. He said we were under a lot of false impressions, that foster volunteers aren't trained as well as we want adopters to be, that we won't work with pet stores and that SFACC only gets 30-40 birds a year. He said so much crap that I could hardly sit there and listen to it all. And I wasn't the only one who was incredibly offended by his slander. As I said to him after the (5 hour) meeting- I was a lot more interested in working with him before the meeting than I was afterwards. After listening to that, I lost all respect for him.
And Rick was followed by other bird breeders and sellers (and one bird rescuer- Dana Strome representing her Wing Foundation) who said a whole lot of untrue things like, "Mickaboo doesn't know about foraging" (Claudia Hunka); "All these birds are endangered" and "We don't know that birds suffer in cages" (Mary Ellen Le Page, VP American Federation of Aviculture); "There's always been rehoming, there's nothing wrong with it. A ten to twenty year old parrot still has a good market value." and "The problem is with rescues' procedures, there is no overpopulation issue. It's a function of peoples' attitudes and rescue policies." (Steve Duncan, President of Avicultural Society of America). PETCO reps were there too. They didn't mention anything about all those dead birds found in their freezers.
And they all had their panties in a bunch about our Adoption Fees. OF COURSE we charge adoption fees! It is poor rehoming procedure not to charge an adoption fee. These PROFIT-MAKING bird sellers had the nerve to say "How are adoption fees any different from selling?" and that rescues "don't want the competition from pet stores" (Steve Duncan).
What they didn't say is that Mickaboo's Adoption Fees cover just 14% of our expenses! Rick French offered to compare his books to ours and I think we should take him up on that offer. I have a feeling that he isn't spending anywhere close to $15,000 per month (!) on vet care for his birds like Mickaboo is for the Bay Area's UNWANTED BIRDS.
It is all too tedious and truly depraved. If you oppose the ban, oppose the ban but don't lie and slander rescue volunteers. Geez. Gross.
You'll have an opportunity to read every word when the Meeting Minutes are published. It will be a couple of weeks but check here (http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=1389) to read the transcripts.
For now, because I'm getting really tired and aggravated even blogging about it, here are just a few of the lies that bird breeders and sellers said about Mickaboo and the truth on the subject.
Mickaboo doesn't believe people and pet parrots can have happy relationships when in fact we are working our frickin volunteer butts off, very effectively, to create and support exactly that!
Mickaboo is unwilling to work with pet stores when in fact we work closely and well with those that don't sell animals (PFE, FOLT, Andy's, etc.) not to mention all the shelters.
Mickaboo's procedures and policies are burdensome and the source of the problem when in fact we are placing as many birds as we possibly can (given the resources we have) and hundreds a year is a lot of placements but the NUMBERS OF SURRENDERS keep pouring in. The problem is not output- it is inflow!
They say we're making money off of adoption fees and don't want the competition of pet stores when the truth is we are perpetually on the edge of red, constantly begging/fundraising/garage-selling/silent auctioning/grant-writing to pay vet bills that no one else is willing to pay. We're a NON PROFIT and our finances are public info.
RESCUES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM and I think it is important that we stand up and say that.
Mickaboo currently has more than FIFTY cockatiels alone in foster care (along with almost 300 other foster birds). SO MANY that we are having to turn birds away. Have you ever met a cockatiel? They are smart and dear and so completely innocent. Do people WANT to continue breeding and selling birds into the overpopulation crisis and homelessness? Is that how bird breeders and sellers show their love for birds?!
Here's how YOU can show your love. Visit Mickaboo's Available Cockatiels here and send everybody this link (http://www.mickaboo.org/our-birds/species-4.html) and say, Hey- did YOU know that there were so many sweet pet birds out there looking for a good home? Pass it on! (Note: This is my personal blog and not a Mickaboo publication.)
Please- keep these shelter animals and birds and rescue volunteers' faces in mind. And, whether you are for the ban or against the ban, please- adopt your next pet.
5 Comments:
Some good points in here, Elizabeth. I wish you the best for the outcome.
What I don't understand is, if they're selling birds in order to sell cages, why don't they just sell the cages which is a lot easier, cleaner and much more profitable than dealing with messy noisy parrots (not to mention us cantankerous rescuers)?
What exactly is the process that someone must do to adopt a bird from Mickaboo? How much would the adoption fee be on say one of the cockatiels? Let's say I wanted to take one in, what would I have to do and what would I pay all together?
Best is to go to www.Mickaboo.org and see for yourself. In the meantime, I can tell you Mickaboo places about 400 birds a year in homes where adopters have taken a free Bird Care Class, answered important questions on an application, talked through issues on a phone call and passed a home visit- all done by VOLUNTEERS. The birds that Mickaboo is helping have already been sold and resold and gifted and regifted and Mickaboo is about stopping the cycle of rehoming and finding a forever home. It's EASY to sell birds. It takes a lot of work to find adopters who are committed and informed and to break the cycle of rehomed birds. What I don't understand is how anyone who cares about birds could keep breeding and selling them KNOWING what their fates are likely to be. Take a break- care for all the ones already here! Mickaboo has OVER 50 cockatiels alone in need of homes right now- sweet, sassy, innocent and tossed away like yesterday's trash. Whether you're for or against the ban, until there are homes for all of them, don't breed, don't buy- ADOPT your next pet. Please.
And adoption fees vary by species and sometimes even for individual birds (depending on their condition and needs). Generally, for the smaller birds, Mickaboo adoption fees are a little higher than retail (approx. $40 for a budgie when stores sell them for $19.99, $50ish for a cockatiel) but less than retail for the bigger birds (approx. $500+ for cockatoos and macaws that retail $1000+). Mickaboo adoption fees cover less than 15% of our expenses (the vast majority of which is vet care).
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