August Birdtalk Article.......

[Mrs.Birdy]

I picked up the August '03 Birdtalk and read the article on "Debarking birds" under Causes and Cures Questions and Answers.

Well, first of all, I wondered "what in God's name is Debarking Birds".

As I read the question, I was sickened and appalled.

Needless to say the Vet columnist was against it completely.

You see debarking birds is a procedure to remove the voice box/vocal cords of a bird so it won't have to be given up when it's too loud. (How cruel IMO)

It a well known procedure to stop dogs from barking which in itself is cruel and
unethical. The Vet continued to say it cannot be applied to avian species because birds have a syrinx (the organ that produces sound) and it is located deep within the chest, far down the trachea where it splits off into the lungs.

Also she mentions that when done to dogs, it can result in paralysis of the larynx and they don't end up voiceless but instead produce unusual sounds. The procedure just lowers the volume of the barking. The dogs can also develop aspiration pneumonia since the larynx also closes off the windpipe when the dog eats or drinks.

Cruel enough for dogs, wouldn't you think. Then the reader posed the question for BIRDS.....

UNTHINKABLE IN ANY SITUATION.

I know many people who are loud and annoying....shall we even consider removing their larynx.

What next?

:mad:

[jackie]

i know!...i read that article about a month ago when i first got it and was throughly confused and sickened.

[Love Bird B]

Hi Mrs. Birdy,

I couldn't believe that people would do that to a bird either but then, we have done awful things to one another as a human species :(

It's no wonder that many of us prefer the company of animals. Then there are websites like this that restore faith in humanity. It keeps me coming back! Thanks Mrs. Birdy and Jackie.

[birdygirl]

I was sickened when I read that article. Birds are what they are. And that means loud. Puppy mills debark dogs in an inhumane way that I don't like to think about. I can't believ a single person would ever even think of doing that to a bird or anyother animal.

[Mrs.Birdy]

So true, Jackie, Lovebird B., and Birdygirl.

Animals have to express themselves, too.

My birds' whistling, chirping, squawking, and screaming is MUSIC TO MY EARS. It doesn't bother me in the least.

My suggestion to anyone living in an apartment or close housing is not to have a bird or dog, or if you want a bird, get a relatively quiet species.

[teri]

almost 80% of the birds that have been "debarked" have not lived thru it. there is a sanctuary in arizona www.the-oasis.org that took a blue and gold in because it had been debarked and had become very violent with it's frustration, the owner was a single lady who spoiled her bird for 18 years and then got married and her husband hated the bird so he screamed alot so she decided to debark him and then the bird was no longer nice to her either, so then she was going to have him euthanized!!! why, why, why, don't people educate themselves to help avoid getting themselves in what seems like hopeless situations. and then the lady ended up getting a divorce!!! anywasy it took a really long time before anyone could get near or even have the bird trust them at the sanctuary, but now he is doing better, but he really wants to talk, and scream like he supposed to.

[Love Bird B]

Teri, that's a really horrific story! It's too bad the woman didn't get rid of her jerk husband first before she did anything to the poor bird.

Wow! I just thought I would get the bird some kind of an artificial voice box. Like the ones they use for people after surgery. It would have to be extremely modified because of the differences in anatomy but who knows? Why do I feel a movie script coming on? Because it sounds like a silly Hollywood movie? Robobird? I'm so warped.

[teri]

ha! they actually have a "robobird" you can buy, i know cause i bought one, it is called a parrotbot and it whistles and says stuff, but you can press this button and record whatever you want and it automatically repeats it back to you and then will whistle, little kids really love it cause they love hearing the parrotbot repeat what they just said.

[Amanda]

I haven't read the article but that is just horrific! I can't believe they would think of doing that to birds. I've heard of it being done to dogs (although I don't think many people do now a days). I wish there was some kind of law that will prevent this from being done to ALL animals!

[dlaura]

I don't think it is done much now a days either. However, if it is still done at all - even on an occasional basis - that is even to much. How awful - I hate to even think about it!

[JSimko]

Completely cruel. I feel that anyone that puts an animal through that needs to be dragged out into the street and beaten badly, and anyone who gets pleasure from other cruel things like dog fights or other things that will require by law that the animal(s) involved be put to death the people who are to blame should be publically put to death. And about ethics, since when do more than a very few people care about ethics.

[Jenny]

I too read the article and though I realize that the lady was very very close to her bird and wanted to do everything to keep it, I can't believe that they would even think to "de-squawk" it or whatever you want to call it! That is soo sad about the blue&gold. I liked Margaret Wissman's reply only I wish she had recommended the lady work with an avian behavior consultant because if it is a screaming problem then it has a good chance of being modified. That way the bird and lady would be happy, as well as the neighbors. On the subject of animal cruelty and dog fights, there was an article in our newspaper about these four pitbull mixes found dead hidden in a big field with wounds from being in dogfights. Unfortuneatly, so far the people who have been holding the dog fights haven't been found yet.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Good point Jenny. I wish she would have recommended a behavorist, too.

The dogfight you mentioned is very sad.

[JSimko]

Even when people that do the dog fights are found they get mabey a month or two in jail. I look at it as if they would do something like that to animals they would not think twice about killing a person and they should be destroyed before they have a chance.