Pa trying to ban Nandays..

[atalantae]

Ok All we Pa people need help.. They are trying to ban Nandays in Pa. That is just wrong.. Please please use the email address at the bottom of the page and email them.

Please read and send an email to the Game Commission

The International Conure Association received notification via our website
that there is legislation in works in Pennsylvania to outlaw the possession
of the Nanday Conure. If passed, this law will not "grandfather" any Nandays
currently kept as pets. The birds will become illegal. They will be subject
to confiscation to be destroyed as pests. Quakers already are illegal in
Pennsylvania.

Genny Wall, AFA Legislative VP and Legislative Committee Chair, spoke to the
Pennsylvania Game Commission office to obtain more information. They will
accept public comments at their meeting which starts on Sunday January 27th
and carries through to January 28 and 29. For those who are unable to
attend, be sure to submit your comments before 1/27/08. (Contact
information at the end of this post.)

__________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ _

Genny's comments and advice:

I spoke with the Game Commission office, and they tell me they will accept
public comments at their meeting which starts on Sunday January 27th and
carries through to January 28 and 29. A link to the Agenda for that meeting
is at the end of this email.

You may share this information with others who oppose the current proposal
in Pennsylvania and urge them to ACT NOW to defeat this proposal.

This proposal which is now before the Game Commission seeks to amend PA law
to prohibit the "importation, possession, sale, and release" of Nanday
conures in Pennsylvania "in response to human health/safety and wildlife
habitat health purposes". Monk (Quaker) parakeets are already prohibited.
There is no "grandfather" clause in this proposal - that generally means
that Nandays already in PA would also become illegal and subject to
confiscation and euthanasia as pests if this proposal becomes law.

The Executive Director and staff of the Game Commission "recommend the
Commission approve these changes". Given that recommendation, unless voters
in PA step up at this meeting to oppose this proposal, I can only assume it
will pass. Your "job" is to let your government know what you want. Once a
law such as this is enacted it is almost impossible to get it repealed. Now
it the time to act.

I recommend that you (and any other bird folks you can round up) appear at
the Game Commission meeting to present comments in opposition to the
proposal - preferably on Sunday the 27th so that you are sure to be given
time to speak - but they may delay you to the 28th or 29th, so be prepared
for that. Be prepared to submit your comments in writing as well as orally,
in case you don't get the chance to speak. Try to keep your written comments
to one page.

Keep in mind these officials are just people doing a job. Don't be afraid to
appear at the meeting and testify. Address them politely, as human beings,
and you should be able to make your points.

The clerk I spoke with told me that generally people are given a few
minutes, maybe 5 max, to make their points. Each speaker should be prepared
ahead of time, with a short, focused, businesslike presentation, which they
can read aloud. Be sure the presentations focus on the following two points
(once you make those points you can let them know you are a human who owns
and loves her pet birds, but that shouldn't be the main focus). DO NOT
ACKNOWLEDGE PUBLICLY AT THE MEETING OR ANYWHERE ELSE THAT YOU OWN A NANDAY.

The two points the Game Commission will be focusing on are the claims that
Nandays threaten human health and safety and wildlife habitat. You need to
be prepared to negate both of those claims. Keep in mind, if Nandays can now
be claimed to be a threat to human health and safety, any parrot or other
bird can be added later. Same for the wildlife habitat health claim. Do your
homework and prepare yourself with documentation to counter at least these
two claims.

Be sure those who testify for your position are well dressed and act
professionally - I can assure you that the proponents of this bill will not
be appearing in T shirts. Do not go into "I love my pet and this law isn't
fair for my pets......" The Game Commission is not concerned with our love
of our pets - they are charged with the responsibility of protecting the
wildlife of PA, and unless you can rationally argue that Nandays don't
threaten human health and safety or wildlife habitat in PA, this law is
likely to pass.

I was not able to obtain any written supporting documentation from the
proponents which shows that Nandays threaten human health and safety or
wildlife habitat in PA (if in fact they have any, other than their claims).
You can ask for a copy of their documentation at the hearing, but try not to
have them read it into the record, since if that tactic is used, you won't
have time to read, evaluate, and respond to it. Ask the Commission to give
you a copy or that they mail it to you so that you will have time to address
their claims. Ask the Commission not to adopt the proposal at this meeting,
or at least to delay any vote to a future meeting to give you and other
opponents of the proposal time to read and respond to any of the
Commission's materials that support their proposal. Remember, this bill has
to be voted on by the Game Commission if it is to become law, and a vote
delayed is a vote not taken.

I would expect the "human health and safety" claims to include claims that
Nandays transmit psittacosis (chlamydia) and bird flu. Be prepared for those
claims. Psittacosis, while transmissible to humans from birds, is
treatable with antibiotics both for birds and humans, and is not usually
life threatening. Parrots have not been shown to transmit bird flu, and the
dreaded "worldwide pandemic of bird flu" has not come to pass - in the 10
years or so it has been circulating in Southeast Asia only about 100 people
have died - that is not a worldwide pandemic.

You have a job to do (protecting Nandays in PA) and I assume you can do it.
Get others to go with you, and if you present a united front, you may be
able to stop this proposal.

For those who can appear and testify - do so.

For those who can't appear, submit written comments before 1/27/08.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

2001 Elmerton Avenue

Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797

(717) 787-4250

pgccomments@state.pa.us

The Agenda for the 1/27 - 1/29 meeting is at this link (warning - large file
over 5 mb - don't try this on dialup):

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=481
<http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/v...63334&q=163334

Section of the agenda with proposed changes:

http://www.conure.org/Resources/Agen...ion%201-08.pdf

The contact information for the Game Commission is

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=481
<Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency: Contact Us

[JavaJoy01]

What bothers me is that this will include birds that are already pets, pets you may have had for years... How terrible!

When I moved from NY, I left my quaker behind in fear that I would cross state lines and into a state that Quakers were illegal to have even if going through the state in a move.

I understand the problem, but still very against this due to what happened with the Carolina parakeet. Where does it stop? Will they one day kill
dogs and cats when they find a reason?? I remember not to long about when I think it was china that had the rabies outbreak. How did they handle it? Confiscated as many dogs as they could and beat them to death. Just took them right from their owners hands and killed them. Very cruel. I do NOT want to live in a country and state let alone a world where to solve an animal problem is by killing them all. I love my animals to much to allow that to happen.

[iowahawk1]

See update in this thread: Proposed Nanday Conure ban in PA

[ROYJOY]

The war's over. we won this one. now lets focus on missouri.

[cody123]

MO is fixed too

[MrRick]

Cross posting requested.

I have just received a call from Kristy Garcia of The Coalition of Pennsylvania Aviculturists (TOCPA), and Kelly Williams of the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA), who, together with Rick Rowland of TOCPA, attended all sessions of the Pennsylvania Game Commission to advocate for the rights of bird owners to own and keep their Nanday Conures and other exotic birds in Pennsylvania.

Kristy and Kelly asked me to relay the good news that Nanday Conures have been removed from the proposal to amend 58 PA Code Section 137.1.

This means that Nanday Conures WILL NOT BE BANNED IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Kristy, Rick, and Kelly will have more information later today or tomorrow when they issue their full report to us. Right now they are on their way home, and will be taking a well-deserved rest from their three days of advocating for you and your birds.

Kelly wanted us to know that the Commissioners thanked them and all who appeared at the hearing, for their politeness, organization, professionalism, and thoroughness in addressing the Commission. They said that it is obvious that we all love our birds and they were impressed that so many people took the time to come before the Commission and advocate for them.

I want to personally say THANK YOU to Kristy, Kelly, and Rick, and everyone who called, faxed, wrote, emailed, and attended the hearing. Each person who got involved played an important part in this victory for bird owners and our birds. Without your help the Nanday Conure would have been banned in Pennsylvania. With your help we were able to show the Commission that a ban of this bird was not necessary either to protect human health or wildlife habitat.

I hope that each of you who responded this time will view this victory as a learning experience, and that you will continue to respond when we ask for help fighting other restrictive animal proposals that come up in other areas.

Thank you again.

Genny Wall
AFA Legislative VP
gennygem2@aol.com
American Federation of Aviculture