African grey parrot seizure: update
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jan 24 2008 | By: admin
It is interesting how you can be so busy one minute, and then something else more urgent turns up and everything that you were doing is immediately sidelined as attention is focused on the incoming crisis. So it has been since the seizure of 1220 African grey parrots back in November and December 2007.
Since those two hectic days the management, veterinary, animal keeping and construction staff have all had to devote huge amounts of their precious time to cope with this extraordinary parrot situation: building new flight cages, checking each and every parrot, releasing those birds that were fit enough to be released, developing a new feeding regime, designing an edible mash, sourcing antibiotics to combat an outbreak of chlamydophillosis and spending hours and hours each day anaesthatising parrots one by one so that they can have their damaged feathers removed.
Not only have we had to change our entire staff management program to accommodate the situation, but we have all had to learn and develop new skills, as looking after 1220 parrots is not the same as looking after gorillas and chimpanzees!
So a summary of the situation thus far is this:
- Two shipments of African grey parrots were seized by the authorities at Douala International Airport in late 2007
- The total number of parrots being illegally exported out of the country to Mexico City and Bahrain were 1220
- The LWC was asked by the confiscating authorities to care of the parrots which arrived in small wooden crates, live birds standing on the bodies of their dead cage mates
- The LWC placed the birds in a variety of rooms and quarantine cages whilst 2 flight cages to house the birds were rapidly constructed
- All the birds were given repeated health checks, with fit and healthy birds being selected for release
- The daily death toll began to rise with gross pathological signs consistent with the disease chlamydophillosis (caused by Chlamydia psittaci)
- The veterinary team struggled to contain the disease, which has serious public health implications in humans
- The design of a new mash, made from cassava flour, corn and oil, enabled effective in-feed medication to treat all the parrots against chlamydophillosis
- Veterinary assistance and anaesthetic drugs from the World Parrot Trust arrived in Cameroon and work began on aneasthatising all remaining birds to remove damaged feathers
- The beginning of the 3 month recuperation period begins during which time the flight feathers will re-grow, leading to final releases
This diary of events is quite remarkable and exhausts me just reading it. Unfortunately, despite the wonderful achievements thus far, we are still a long way from resolving this issue as we still have hundreds of parrots living in cramped conditions in two flight cages. We still have to divert large amounts of funding to purchase fruit and nuts and ingredients to make the mash; numerous staff have been reassigned to make the food and look after the birds; the vet team still spend many hours each day checking the birds and making medication feeds. The degree to which this issue has affected every aspect of life at the LWC can not be overstated. It has literally consumed us all.
So the costs continue to mount up and the following is a price list of what we are facing on a daily basis, that it would be fantastic to receive help for:
Extra keeping staff $125/month
Food bill $200/week
Medications $100/month
Fuel for vehicle $20/week
Enclosure repair costs $50/week
Gloves and masks for staff $10/week
Wood chippings for substrate of enclosure $30/week
Veterinary costs $50/week
Many thanks for any assistance that can be given to help us deal with this ongoing extraordinary situation.
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My name is Felix Lankester, the Project Director of the Limbe Wildlife Centre and also the head veterinarian. I have been at the project since April 2004.
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100% of your donation, minus a small bank fee, will go to your intended purpose.
Donations made here are safe.
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Donations Received
- Dec 2nd Gwendolen R. USD20.00
- Nov 28th Wanda H. USD22.00
- Nov 9th Pirjo I. USD33.00
- Nov 8th Bonnie J. USD22.00
- Nov 7th Amy O. USD110.00
- Oct 26th Gwendolen R. USD20.00
- Sep 30th Chantal A. USD22.00
- Sep 2nd Rebecca K. USD50.00
- Sep 2nd Pirjo I. USD50.00
- Sep 2nd Nigel G. USD200.00
- Aug 29th Chantal A. USD20.00
- Aug 25th Cheryl L. USD60.00
- Aug 13th Pirjo I. USD50.00
- Aug 10th Yang H. USD60.00
- Aug 6th Diane M. USD110.00
- Aug 4th Theresa S. USD25.00
- Aug 1st Chantal A. USD20.00
- Jul 14th Cynthia G. USD130.00
- Jul 3rd Jody U. USD100.00
- Jul 1st Chantal A. USD20.00
17 Responses to “African grey parrot seizure: update”
Dipesh Pabari, on 24 Jan 2008
Once again Limbe has come to the rescue! The world is paying attention. AFP released an article yesterday: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5isK4Yk6l3MXQ0p3_lefjeSE8bPOQ
Let’s hope that these unfortunate birds will be the last victims of this senseless pet trade!
paula, on 24 Jan 2008
Hi Felix, fantastic news and so sad about the parrots. Please contact Clement Mwale of the Lusaka Task Force who may be interested in any details about the siezure. http://www.lusakaagreement.org
Christine C., on 24 Jan 2008
Felix — this is an extraordinary and sad story. It would be wonderful if this could get some serious international press…people need to understand why buying and owning exotic pets is so wrong. Thank to you and all the staff at Limbe for all you are doing to save these beautiful birds.
Dana J. Arizona-USA, on 24 Jan 2008
So sad and upsetting that these beautiful and intelligent birds are snatched from their homes. Your tireless work in helping to save as many of these birds is wonderful. I too hope that this story can get World-wide press. I’m sending in a donation to help wherever needed.
Wanda, Atlanta, on 24 Jan 2008
Why can’t people in US and other countries see where they come from-they go to a Pet Shop and act like they don’t know and don’t care -
WAKE UP everybody!
THERESA SISKIND, on 24 Jan 2008
Felix, we appreciate you laying out what is needed. Just the cleaning of cages and keeping their water containers clean is a NEVER ending task! The process of plucking their feathers and the regrowth period clearly further strains your resources. After years of keeping cockatiels and monk parrots, I came to the realization they don’t belong in captivity (my birds were not kept in cages but in an aviary enclosure that was portable were they could be moved inside for inclement weather).Still, it was ignorant of me to keep them in captivity, that is why education is so important.
Faye, on 24 Jan 2008
These birds are beautiful and very intelligent! My former neighbor’s C.A.G. (named Eddie) sounds exactly like an alarm clock at, like, 4 in the morning and he speaks in complete sentences. They bought a house and now Eddie has a huge aviary. I will never purchase a bird in a pet shop knowing that the parrots command steep prices. They sell like hotcakes, too. People’s ignorance and the greed of the dealers is part of what is driving this cruel trade. Thank you for helping these birds!
F. J. PECHIR, on 24 Jan 2008
You are doing an extraordinary good job there! Really amazing!
Steven Earl Salmony, Ph.D., M.P.A., on 29 Jan 2008
Somehow, perhaps sooner rather than later, Nature and biodivesity in particular need to be preserved and actively protected from overwhelming human overconsumption, overproduction and overpopulation activities now overspreading the surface of Earth.
What if ideology and selfish interests are “blinding” denialists to the virtual mountains of good scientific evidence of global warming and climate change?
The astounding, clearly visible, pernicious impacts of human overconsumption and overproduction activities of 6 billion (soon to become 9 billion) human beings upon Earth’s environment and its body of resources are overpowering and soon to be patently unsustainable, I suppose.
How much longer can the relatively small planet we inhabit withstand the colossal ravage being dealt to it in our time by human hands?
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population, established 2001
http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/
Sheryl, Washington, DC, on 05 Feb 2008
Wow, y’all last posted on my birthday. I was wondering if you could give an update on the Taiping Four? Thanks.
s.
Jane, on 05 Feb 2008
What a fantastic job you are all doing. Being a grey owner myself I really appreciate what you are doing for these greys. Looking after one is hard work I can’t even imagine 1200 of them. They are truely smart birds and mine amazes me everyday.
Janice Williams, on 07 Feb 2008
Thank you for your hard work and compassionate care for these many many African Greys. My sister has two Greys (purchased from breeders) and they are intelligent astounding creatures. I will share your needs with others in an upcoming article and hope that contributions will be forthcoming to help you in your work.
Joan E. Phelps, on 07 Feb 2008
First, heartfelt thanks to everyone caring for the parrots. I live with two African greys and have found them to be so very sensitive and compassionate toward me on days when I’m not feeling well. They can “read” me much better than I can understand them! I belong to several parrot chatrooms (in the U.S.) and will bring this to the attention of members. Parrots are long-lived and never forget those who have harmed them. I always encourage people to learn about parrots before buying them and never to buy from pet stores. Websites like Petfinder.com lists dozens of parrots who need new homes. I’m glad that the people I bought my greys from thoroughly screen people who want to purchase African grey parrots.
Good luck in all your endeavors.
THERESA SISKIND, on 12 Feb 2008
Felix, we have many bird lovers out there and that is a very good thing. I know you are super busy, but please let us know how you all are doing. Take care, Theresa
Steven Earl Salmony, Ph.D., M.P.A., on 15 Feb 2008
Something is happening that many too many people appear not to be seeing, I suppose.
Scientific evidence is springing up everywhere that indicates the massive and pernicious impact of the human species on the limited resources of Earth, its frangible ecosystems and life as we know it.
Guided by mountains of carefully and skillfully developed research regarding climate change, top rank scientists like Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Dr. James Hansen, Dr. Hans J. Schellnhuber and Dr. Christopher Rapley issued a Climate Code Red emergency declaration this month to leaders of governments and to the family of humanity proclaiming the necessity for open discussion and action by politicians and economic powerbrokers.
From my humble perspective, many leaders of the global political economy are turning a blind eye to human over-consumption, overproduction and overpopulation activities that can be seen recklessly dissipating the natural resources and dangerously degrading the environs of our planetary home. The Earth is being ravaged; but it appears many leaders are willfully refusing to acknowledge what is happening.
Because the emerging global challenges that could soon be presented to humanity appear to so many fine scientists as human-induced, leaders have responsibilities to assume and duties to perform, ready or not, like them or not.
Perhaps leadership in our time has too often chosen to ignore whatsoever is somehow real in order to believe whatever is politically convenient, economically expedient, socially agreeable, religiously tolerated and culturally prescribed. When something real directly conflicts with what leaders wish to believe, that reality is denied. It appears that too many leaders are content to hold tightly to widely shared and consensually validated specious thinking when it serves their personal interests.
Is humanity once again finding life as we know it dominated by a modern Tower of Babel called economic globalization? That is, has human thinking, judging and willing become so egregiously impaired by our idolatry of the artificially designed, manmade, global political economy that we cannot speak intelligibly about anything else except economic growth and profits without sounding like blithering idiots?
Steven Salmony, on 21 Feb 2008
Are many too many leaders of the global political economy spurning their moral obligations by turning a blind eye to human over-consumption, overproduction and overpopulation activities that can be seen recklessly dissipating the natural resources and drastically degrading the environs of our planetary home? The Earth is being ravaged; but it appears too many politicians, CEOs and institutional executives are willfully refusing to acknowledge what is happening.
Because the emerging global challenges that could soon be confronted by humanity appear to so many responsible, able and courageous scientists to be human-induced, many of our political leaders and economic powerbrokers have evidently been eschewing unwelcome responsibilities and unexpected duties which must be assumed now if life as we know it and the integrity of Earth are to be preserved for our children and coming generations.
jennie, on 06 Apr 2008
i wish i could have one of those birds they are so cute
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