Birdtricks.com: Freeflight Nightmare Situation

[carlylu]

This is the latest version of the Birdtricks.com "animal rights" press release, from PRWeb.com. This was released today, after an incident recently where someone watched these very videos, tried it himself, and lost his African Grey Parrot (Tui).

Thousands Inflict Animal Cruelty On Their Parrot

Birdtricks.com shows how the common practice of clipping a pet parrot's wings causes severe emotional damage to pet birds, and how a new method of raising pet birds allows pet bird owners a way to let their birds fly freely outside, but still come back when you call them. This gives them all the exercise nature intended them to have, and provides dramatic amounts of emotional stimulus.

Birdtricks.com has shown clipping causes severe emotional damage?? (Their new research division?) Guilt-tripping people into trying to freefly their bird, especially using the unweaned baby bird method, in my opinion borders on a disgusting disregard of ethics.


Also, this part of their press release explicitly states that the Cressi videos Tui's owner watched are intended to teach people how to freefly their bird, contrary to claims that they are just posted to show what they have done:

In an effort to teach parrot owners how to use positive reinforcement to train their birds for lasting results and an end to bad behaviors like screeching, biting, and feather plucking, Birdtricks.com has documented a case study of how they used positive reinforcement to train their Congo African Grey to safely fly outside, including videos and pictures of the entire process.

This all just makes me sick. I am all for keeping birds flighted, but it is unethical in the extreme to advocate it for everyone on the grounds that not doing so is animal cruelty. Pushing people to do this whose birds are not ready for it, or who may not be up for it themselves, will result in losses -- THAT is animal cruelty. I wrote a bit on my blog about freeflying as enrichment( Carly Lu's Flyblog ) I think word needs to get out there -- wherever these press releases appear -- that freeflight is NOT the way for the vast majority of people to do this.

This kind of advertising is just morally depraved.

raz

[jenseits]

OMG, that's just horrible! I recognized this PR stunt for what it was, but it's very sobering to hear that someone took this message to heart and suffered tragically because of it.

Can you include a link to where Tui's owner talks about what happened? I'd like to write about this story on my blog, but not if it's only "hearsay". Can I quote some of what you posted here?

This is really tragic! It drives home just how damaging "marketing tactics" like this can be. At the very, very least I hope this prevents further tragedies.

[lisark]

YouTube - Our last Tui Video .. Don't EVER do this

This is the video where Andrew tells what happened.

So how does the PRWeb thing work? I don't get it. I went to Birdtricks.com and PRWeb.com and didn't find anything ???

[jenseits]

Ah, I did see that link in another thread but was afraid to click on it. (I have an embarrassing habit of crying at work when I read really sad things on BirdBoard.)

PRWeb is an online press release distribution system (like the wire services for traditional media). Anyone can pay a small fee, submit a press release and then have that release widely distributed online where, in theory, it gets seen by bloggers, online journalists, etc. Some journalists subscribe to press releases on certain subjects, others just see it cross their desktops via Google Alerts, etc. If the press release topic interests them, they'll write about it and link back to the source. Other sites simply reprint the release in its entirety. It's one way to generate publicity for yourself.

[SDavid]

That video was so sad. I can imagine how that man must feel. I'd be beside myself with grief. It's obvious he loved his bird very much and to loose her like that is just tragic.

I wish this thread was in the main section (birdboard.com discussion) so that more people could see it. It shouldn't go unnoticed.

Knowledge in any field is collective. It's people with many years of education and experience sharing what they've learned and their life's experiences. I think all of the legitimate trainers should do their best to speak out against any methods that they feel are doing more harm than good.

Also, where does Tui's owner mention that it was the BirdTricks video's that he was copying?

[carlylu]

Here is the PRweb link for the BT "press release":
Thousands Inflict Animal Cruelty On Their Parrot

The video by Tui's owner is linked to above.

Here is also a blog post about the Tui video, by a well-respected professional trainer (president-elect of the Intl Assn of Avian Trainers & Educators):
Bird Training Blog » Blog Archive » Comments on YouTube video

Tui's owner is on an african grey forum I'm on. I spoke to him personally, so I know what he was using as his "guide."

Anyone is free to cross post. I have also put it on my flight blog:
Carly Lu’s Flight Blog » Blog Archive » Morally Depraved

There are links to real trainers' material there as well.

rz

raz

[Xen]

Chet is a member here. I look forward to his reply... he usually replies to threads about his training methods.

[carlylu]

I've had private emails from his brother Dave, who is in the video. Accusing me of not coming to his aid when he was posting on the yahoo Freeflight list, where he was getting all his horrible training advice. I was on "no email" at the time and rarely read the list. I first found out about Dave's videos when someone sent me a link. Cressi's training is painful to watch for any trainer who respects birds. When he emailed me about problems he was having at the beach with seagulls, all I could say was that his whole method was wrong from day one. Too much, too fast. It is entirely based on starting with an unweaned baby (which for most pet owners is in itself a disaster waiting to happen) and relying on that "bond" for outdoor flight. The "mentor" he was working with from FF is currently having a critical situation with an unweaned baby they recently acquired, and a good breeder friend of mine was livid over what she heard they were trying to do with it.

In addition, this "bond" method gives people the impression that is all that's necessary -- which it isn't as the bird gets older -- and if they are well-bonded to their adult bird people think that it will work fine also. That's how Tui was lost. Good training takes lots of practice and patience and this "quick and easy" method does not produce good results. The birds end up with a very loose recall (it's proponent says publicly that having occasional overnighters and flyoffs is "acceptable" to him, and that recall isn't really necessary).

Their beach flying was done after a minimal number of days of outdoor flight. I did not fly Carly at the beach until she'd been flying outdoors every day for 6 months in quieter locations. (Well beyond the point where I could tell you how many days she had flown outdoors!) Everything in their training is rushed, rushed, rushed.

I had been reserved in my statements about these two on forums, but with this latest so-called press release (actually a paid advertisement) my gloves are off. They are an absolute laughing stock in the professional training world. These are blogs by the past president and president-elect of the Intl Assn of Avian Trainers and Educators, both of whom I have met and correspond with, regarding the kind of marketing these guys do:

Bird Training Blog » Blog Archive » Beware the Silver Bullet
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Parrot Training Marketing Secrets Revealed

Birdtricks is also known among other trainers for plagiarizing material, and I have had first hand experience with a friend who had a "testimonial" on their site forged.

Anyone is welcome to respond and people can make up their own minds. They will tell you how experienced they are, and how wonderful the birds are doing. I don't feel like I can believe a word they say, especially if it has to do with a bird's well being. For my part it's a waste of time to have discussions or arguments with frauds.

[carlylu]

Some of you might find this interesting as well, a certain person talking about the advantages of marketing to a small, naive, niche market (like parrot owners, for example):

Product Launch Formula Case Study

No professional trainer I know would even have time for something like this. They are too busy teaching and training.

rz

[jenseits]

Originally Posted by carlylu

Some of you might find this interesting as well, a certain person talking about the advantages of marketing to a small, naive, niche market (like parrot owners, for example):

Product Launch Formula Case Study

No professional trainer I know would even have time for something like this. They are too busy teaching and training.

rz

I was actually just going to post that and you beat me to it. I'm thinking of putting together a list of all the sites run by this company (many disguised to look like neutral third-party resources), just to give people an idea how many pots they've got their fingers in.