Quakers are now illegal in CT?

[SPJ]

Anyone know if this is true. CL&P (the electric company) recently went out and did a mass execution of thousands of them that were in the wild but now the petstores are saying it is illegal to own them since this happened.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

It has been illegal to own a quaker parrot in Conn. since 2003. They had recinded it for a short time,but it has been re instated. Anyone who brings a sick quaker parakeet to a CT. vet risks losing their bird. The Vet is required to report you for keeping one of these animals.

[Alika]

And if you want to be upset about it, you should be upset at the irresponsible pet owners who have created the thriving population. Education is what's important here.

[Tiki]

Get mad..............and do something about it! First read the story of how Quaker Parrots came to be in America, they didn't have much choice in the matter. http://www.brooklynparrots.com/2005/...-doing-in.html Their only "sin" was to be too successful immigrants and to survive and succeed. They have not harmed anyone or anything.

What can you do to help? If you live in an area inhabited by wild Quakers, help save their lives by erecting "Monk Bunkers" for them to live in unharrassed by power companies. http://www.brooklynparrots.com/

Sign the petitions! Show the politicians that we care about birds!

Article on Florida Quakers.....

If you live in CT (or any other state where they are illegal) and have a pet Quaker, find an avian vet in a nearby state where they are legal and a local friend's address to use. I am not sure how strict AV's are about reporting illegal Quakers or if they just euthanize them but don't take the chance.

These lawmakers or whatever are really smart, huh? Make Quakers illegal to have as pets so #1-people will set their pet bird free for fear of having him confiscated and killed and #2- no homes to take in rescued baby Quakers from nests torn down by power companies.

[Rubyred]

We have many wild flocks of parrots in San Diego. So far there hasn't been any action towards them but who knows about the future. He's an article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/s...17parrots.html

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

If I owned a quaker in a state that made them illegal I'd find them a home outside of the state before I'd set them free. That's just plain stupid irresponsibility, expecting a bird to survive in weather we have here in the North. How is that the smart thing to do? Completely assinine.

There is not a single parrot in the US that is indigineous to this country. I'd not sooner let Koko or Kiwi free than any of my other birds if they were made illegal.

[jamieo]

Originally Posted by LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam

If I owned a quaker in a state that made them illegal I'd find them a home outside of the state before I'd set them free. That's just plain stupid irresponsibility, expecting a bird to survive in weather we have here in the North. How is that the smart thing to do? Completely assinine.

There is not a single parrot in the US that is indigineous to this country. I'd not sooner let Koko or Kiwi free than any of my other birds if they were made illegal.

Unfortunately this is just another example of how some people will put forth the least amount of effort they can in order to get something done. It's the same mindset as a person who throws cigarette butts out of their window instead of in their ash tray and empyting it at home or people who abandon their pets at shelters rather than putting forth a little effort to find a new home for them. Some people are just too lazy to do anything that might require a small amount of effort.

[Lori L]

Agghhh it all makes me so crazy!! I just don't understand people in general. It makes you realize how many heartless people there are out there. But on the same token there are many who care and who are good people too. I dispise animal cruelty. I can't even stand to hear about it. To abandon or set free a house pet is so uncalled for. It's so easy to rehome an animal. I once had 2 guinea pigs for my son and he wasn't paying any attention to them and I was cleaning the cages etc and I really felt bad that they weren't living the life they should be. I got them for him too young and it really was all my fault for getting them in the first place. One afternoon I placed an ad on Craigs list saying free to a good home. The number of responses I got was amazing. I carefully screened the people (took all of a few hours) and then met the woman and gave her the piggies with there food toys etc. I have kept in touch and they are thriving and being very loved. Now how hard was that? I mean we all make mistakes, it was irresponsible of me to get them in the first place. I'll admit that and I've learned my lesson when I take in a new pet, I make a commitment to them that they will be in a forever home, but if I had to for some strange reason rehome them I'd never, ever set them free or leave them on the doorstep somewhere. It's just not necessary.

[Alika]

Most of the wild parrots in the US are a direct result of the pet industry. If pet parrots never escaped, if people never released their pet parrots, we would not have a problem. Although hundreds of pet birds are likely released (which is both immoral and illegal), it is the quakers who are hardy enough to survive. No, it is not their fault, which is regrettable. But is it a mouse's fault that it learned to come in from the cold and get into your pantry? Is it a cat's fault it was born on the street without any human contact? Is it a pigeon's fault that some guy missed them and brought them over to the states from Europe where they are now a pest species? No. But nobody is fighting to have laws passed to protect any of these animals.

The states that are outlawing these birds as pets are taking the only precaution they can against more individuals being released. Unfortunately, these birds are now breeding in the wild and controlling the captive population is only going to go so far... but I believe they are absolutely correct. If we, in the pet bird community, cannot learn to be more responsible, we absolutely shouldn't be keeping birds at all.

And I know it's not everybody, but we are a community and if we want to protect the privilege of legally keeping exotic birds as pets, we need to really band together and teach other bird owners that it is not appropriate to 1. get a bird you can't care for and 2. release an unwanted pet bird into the 'wild'. We also ought to be teaching people about preventing fly-offs and keeping their birds safe.

This is preaching to the choir, of course. Most members who find themselves in an online community like BB already have a vested interest in their pet. It is the people out there we need to focus on. The folks in our bird club. At the pet store. Your friend's mom who you heard through the grapevine is sick and tired of her bird.

The consequences of our actions are natural and to be expected, however devastating they are. Humans keep birds as pets, humans release birds into the wild, birds become a nuisance... honestly, what did we think was going to happen? Targeting the law makers is the wrong way to go. We need to go to the root of the problem and educate our fellow bird owners.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. I just think before we get to complaining about the situation, we need to understand that we, as a community, helped to create it in the first place.

[Tiki]

The "people out there" as you put it, Alika can really just be controlled by the LAW. That is why the laws need to be more appropriate. What purpose does it serve to have the pet Quakers of law-abiding citizens made illegal and put the fear of God into them that the neighbor will dob them in and their precious bird will be confiscated and killed. Or the fear to take their pet to an AV who may be required by LAW to confiscate the bird?

The LAW is creating the current situation. EVERY state needs to find some way of making it legal for people to keep pet Quakers, even if they have to be registered or something to prevent them from being tossed outdoors.

Can you imagine what would happen if a large state like Florida passed a law making pet Quakers illegal? It would be chaos, Quakers are very popular as pets there. Panicked owners, knowing that wild Quakers are common there would be tossing them out hoping they would have a chance in the wild, rather than being confiscated by the authorites. The anti-Quaker laws are insane and are punishing good people who just want to provide good homes for their birds. I do think that severe penalties should be enforced on anyone who would toss any pet bird into the wild, even jail time is appropriate.