Misguided Legislation Proposals and the Truth Being Intentionally Left Out of the Dialogue
- Sal Salafia
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
For years, man has raised birds for the purpose of companionship. The infatuation with these prehistoric animals that defy gravity is not something new to humans. As far back as humans have kept dogs and cats in fact, they have also kept pet birds.
You can find that pet birds have been a part of human societies back in the Middle Ages, and well before even that. Humans hunt alongside falcons, they enjoy the sounds and beauty of canaries, and they are mesmerized by the ability to mimic speech from pet parrots. Pet birds are so common that you would be hard-pressed to be in a room full of people and not have a person who started their pet journey with a budgie or cockatiel.
Our ancestors did not have the resources we have today. Pet birds have been fortunate to have been invested in over the past half a century, by the pet industry, as they continue to play an important role in our lives as Aviculturists. Pet birds who have been kept in past decades did not have the same opportunity for enrichment, nor the cage space or the dietary benefits of modern pet birds' food. A billion-dollar pet industry now exists with specialists who create new innovations annually for pet care products, including those for pet birds work daily to create better products. The industry exists because humanity’s interest in spending time with pet birds has not changed, but their desire to improve the lives of their pet bird counterparts has changed. Further, back in the Middle Ages, it was common practice to catch wild birds and tame them into pets. Fortunately, in our country, laws exist to stop poaching from the wild, which sparked a whole new interest in humans, the desire to breed and raise baby birds here in our country.
As a result, we have made it so that some species of birds, once endangered species are not endangered or are otherwise aided by those people who keep pet birds and raise baby birds in captivity. We created more loving pets that are better socialized and more engaged, and trusting of their human counterparts. The pet industry has aided in the repopulation of birds that were once completely extinct in the wild. We have developed a need for an industry to surround and support the development of these baby birds. Veterinarians have spent their time investing in creating higher quality foods, companies have spent millions developing better enrichment toys and safer and engaging enclosures. Companies like ours have created a space to provide free education on Aviculture in addition to being a grooming, boarding and training resource.
Pet industry trade shows that span the width of 7 football fields, like Super Zoo and Global Pet Expo, reward companies with awards for creating the best, most ethical companies and products. They showcase miles of new pet innovations and provide industry accolades to those who make the best products. In fact, our company, Exotic Pet Birds Inc., proudly accepted the America’s Coolest Pet Business Award this year at Super Zoo. This all happens because the pet industry supports the creation of more pets, thus giving the pets kept by humans in better ability to have greater enriched lives.
Look, I get it, there are bad people who break laws. There are those who are completely unethical in life who live in impoverished areas of the world where the standards still are as low as they were in our Middle Ages. Yet the answer is not to kill a system that has gone to great lengths to do so much good, because some bad people have failed to follow the laws. We have laws to prevent bad people from doing bad things. We need to focus our attention and provide resources to back those current laws. Provide resources to lawkeepers to be able to stop bad practices. Don’t kill organizations that do ethical breeding or properly care for their pet birds.
The answer is to work as sophisticated humans who want to raise the standard of care provided for animals in captivity. The answer is to involve those specialists in the industry in the dialogue of how to solve issues involving the pet industry. Industry leaders at AFA and PAN (Pet Advocacy Network) exist and can support legislators if they will take the time to listen and learn.
My company, for example, doesn’t care what the bare minimum of care is required for pets in our care. We create our own standard that is so far above what’s socially acceptable, and as a result, we sleep very well each night knowing how amazing the care we provide is and how important the support we freely give to our clients is.
Using us as an example. We raise baby birds for the purpose of selling them to families or individuals who seek to love them. No one has ever set foot in this store for any purpose other than to find a friend. They seek to provide love, and they seek to learn about the process. As I am a legal business owner, I don’t pay below the legal minimum wage of $15.50 per hour. As a legal business, I pay New York State income taxes, payroll taxes, and real estate taxes. Rochester Gas and Electric and Monroe County water require their cut out of our business every month, and the enrichment, the infrastructure, the reinvestment in foods that are consumed and free behavioral training and free grooming we provide are supported by the birds we raise to sell. A well-balanced system is supporting the community it serves and paying for all necessary to be there to do it with the very birds our clients come seeking from us in the first place. Some people want to adopt birds, and some want a baby. There is no wrong way to be a pet owner. No one should be shamed for wanting to do something our ancestors have done for years. We are better pet owners with better resources than our ancestors had, yet somehow, there is a sweeping attack on the pet industry this year.
AND because we are a highly ethical business that cares about the animals we raise, we regularly take in surrenders and consignments that need to be found new homes. Why are they being surrendered? Some because people pass away, some because people’s lives change for other reasons. None- ever sit here waiting to be loved for more than a month. None ever suffered because they were backed by our love and the infrastructure they were born into. I challenge legislation to be created to require sellers of pets to have to take in surrenders, not to fill rescues with them. The infrastructure that we create should protect; that’s our motto, and we live it daily. No surrendered bird to us is ever turned away. They are forever a part of this family and will never have to be put to a rescue to burden them. If one ever ends up in a rescue, we welcome any rescue to reach out to us, as we will gladly accept the bird back. Further, we support a local rescue as we have been a foster for animals not from us for the past year. I believe those who breed should be required to assist those who rescue in this way, morally and ethically. I would have no issue with legislation that asked me to support rescues simultaneously being permitted to breed. I have my head filled with great legislation proposals.
Animal breeders and rescues can work together to do great things. I’ve proven this. I have so many ideas ahead, I look forward to using my new role as a Regional Northeastern Delegate of AFA to share these ideas and hopefully dispel some misinformation while guiding those being misguided into having a clearer picture of the pet industry.
