We could rename the “FALSE” label to “MYTH” or “RUMOR”. I prefer MYTH because it implies a lack of knowledge by people perpetuating the myth.
Karen M. Watkins
From: media-advisors-bounces@mickaboo.org [mailto:media-advisors-bounces@mickaboo.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan Harris
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 11:32 AM
To: media-advisors@mickaboo.org
Subject: [Media-advisors] Fw: Re: Mickaboo, False and True (was Lies and Misstatements draft)
Thanks, Michelle, for the good edits. I'll wait to hear from others before re-editing in light of new suggestions.
Jonathan
-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Michelle Yesney
Sent: Jul 18, 2010 2:22 PM
To: Jonathan Harris
Cc: Elizabeth Young , Tammy Azzaro , Karen Watkins , Patricia Blau , Mary Long , Matt , Vinny
Subject: Re: Mickaboo, False and True (was Lies and Misstatements draft)
Jonathan,
I'm suggesting (in red below) some minor additions to the introduction for the purpose of having the document stand on its own as a fact-based statement (including one incomplete sentence), and a couple of other suggestions in the text. Also some minor punctuation suggestions. The media-advisor group can react to my comments as well.
Thank you so much for this labor of love.
Michelle
On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 7:12 AM, Jonathan Harris wrote:
Here is a revised draft of the "Micakboo, False and True" document (not its intended title, but a closer description of its content than "Lies and Misstatements." I've suggested a possible title, below). Matt's corrected figures, Michelle's edits, and Elizabeth's and Mary's suggestion now are incorporated; the rhetoric of the third paragraph is toned down slightly; and the phrases "Ridiculously False" and "The Biggest Lie" have been replaced with the simpler "False," as per Vinny's suggestion. It does, however, retain the original True-False format, since that was the document's intended purpose — to refute the mischaracterizations presented at the July 8 AWC meeting and in ongoing propaganda — and that purpose is integral to the structure and content of document. We can tweak this further (e.g., add the names of more SF pet stores, boutiques, service centers, etc., especially if/when we start working with them); and of course it can be rewritten or broken apart for future purposes.
-j
----------------
Some Facts about Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue and the Crisis of Unwanted Birds
A great deal of misinformation is being spread about the growing number of homeless, unwanted birds in the Bay Area. Since the San Francisco Animal Welfare Commission first mentioned adding small animals, including birds, to a proposed ban on the sale of dogs and cats in the city, a coalition made up mostly of breeders and pet store owners has attempted to dismiss the problem. In addition, many have also tried to discredit the organization whose representatives brought it to the commission's attention, Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue. In testimony before the commission, in letters, flyers, and emails, some of the opponents to the ban have repeatedly distorted and misrepresented the practices and purpose of this nationally respected rescue group, while denying the existence of any crisis in unwanted birds and trying to obscure its root causes.
By their account, hardly any homeless or unwanted birds exist here (or anywhere else in the US). The crisis, they say, is an illusion created by rescue groups like Mickaboo for our own purposes. Mickaboo's agenda, they claim, is to profit from the adoption fees we charge; pet stores — which offer customers greater choice — are "competitors" for bird sales, and Mickaboo wants to destroy these independent businesses, limiting people's access to birds. Mickaboo's "high" fees and "burdensome" adoption procedures are what create the appearance of a crisis, since they discourage adoption and produce a backlog of unadopted birds. Mickaboo is a "radical Animal Rights group" whose ultimate goal is nothing less than the complete prohibition of pet ownership.
In addition to being silly, this narrative is false from start to finish. Some parts actually contradict others (why should we want to prohibit pet ownership if our goal is profit from people adopting our birds? Why do we have such a burdensome process if we are trying to complete with profit-making stores that sell birds to anyone who walks in the door?). None of it withstands any comparison with reality. But it is not simply inaccurate, it is dangerously wrong in diverting attention away from the real, emerging crisis in our city and around the country. If you care about animal welfare or your rights to have healthy companion animals, please compare their misstatements with the facts.
FALSE: There is no crisis of homeless birds. Their numbers in shelters are insignificant compared to impounded dogs and cats.
THE TRUTH: There is a huge and growing crisis of unwanted birds. It has taken four centuries for the numbers of homeless dogs and cats to reach the levels they have in America today. The explosion of domestic parrot populations (now estimated at some 40–50 million in US homes) has occurred only in the past 20 years, driven by the rise of large-scale, industrial breeders and pet retailers in the 1990s. As people who purchase birds on impulse confront the difficulties and cost of caring for these complex, demanding, essentially wild animals, more and more are relinquishing them, sometimes illegally releasing or simply abandoning them. Most of these birds never reach shelters, dying from untreated illnesses and neglect at home or from starvation or predation when released. The problem has worsened during the current housing crisis and recession, as people losing their homes are simply abandoning birds, sometimes entire aviaries, at an alarming rate. Craigslist is filled with ads for unwanted birds. Mickaboo's annual intake numbers have gone from about 35 in 2002 to a projected 500 this year. If that growth rate continues, the number will reach 5,000 by 2018. Rescue groups and shelters cannot absorb such growth. Mickaboo currently has 375 rescued birds needing homes, and our volunteers' space to house them is at capacity. Recently we have been forced to impose a moratorium on the intake of cockatiels, although we know of many who need our help. All the while, more birds continue to be bred and sold. And Mickaboo is a fraction of the total in California, never mind in the U.S.
FALSE: Mickaboo hates pet stores and wants to drive them out of business.
THE TRUTH: Mickaboo hates the mistreatment of animals; we do not hate pet stores. We don't want to ruin businesses, especially small, independent ones; we just want them to stop selling commercially bred birds. There are other business models pet stores can follow that don't involve selling bred animals. In the Bay Area we have both chains (Pet Food Express) and independent stores (For Other Living Things, Sunnyvale) that provide goods and services for companion animals, as well as pet stores (Andy's, San Jose) that sell only re-homed animals). We regret the effect banning bird sales might have on the income of some pet stores and their employees, many of whom genuinely love animals. However, the issue cannot be reduced simply to the economic interests of these stores. So long as pet stores promote birds as easy-care or "starter" pets, they will create unrealistic expectations, frustrated owners and countless miserable, unwanted birds. Moreover, even the most responsible pet sellers — stores that treat their birds well and provide good information and guidance to prospective buyers — are supplied by and support large breeding operations that rival puppy mills in life-long cruelty toward their captive breeding animals. Such extreme mistreatment of highly intelligent, emotionally sensitive creatures cannot be justified, tolerated, or supported, even indirectly.
FALSE: Mickaboo earns profits through its adoption fees.
THE TRUTH: Mickaboo is a 501(c)3 organization, run entirely by volunteers. It does not make money on anything, nor does anyone who works for it. Even without physical facilities or paid employees, the cost of our rescue work is staggering. Many of our rescued birds need expensive and prolonged medical treatment, and Mickaboo spends on average more than $10,000 per month for veterinary care. Adoption fees defray a small fraction (less than 15%) of those costs. The rest comes mainly from donations and a few, small fund-raisers. Our finances are a matter of public record. What the records do not show are the many additional costs that Mickaboo's volunteers absorb themselves — food, transportation and toys for their foster birds — to say nothing of the countless hours of skilled and loving labor they give to emotional rehabilitation and socialization, teaching once neglected and abused animals to trust people again.
FALSE: Mickaboo's "high" adoption fees and "burdensome" procedures discourage adoption.
THE TRUTH: Mickaboo's adoption fees are in most cases less than what the same bird would cost if purchased from a pet store or breeder. Our adoption procedure requires people to take a basic bird-care class, fill out a questionnaire, be interviewed over the phone, and have a home visit. We do not consider these requirements burdensome, in light of the past treatment some of our birds have suffered, the investment we have made in rehabilitating them, and the lifelong commitment we make to their welfare. Nor should anyone who is serious about having birds in their home, given the long-term responsibilities their care demands. We are not trying to put up barriers to adoption. Our goal is to educate adopters and to be sure they are able and willing to provide safe, healthy, and permanent homes for our birds. Pet stores are only required by law to provide a one-page care sheet (often containing out-of-date or erroneous information) to send home with the animal. Certainly it is easier to walk into a pet shop and buy a bird than it is to adopt from us or any other reputable rescue organization. But it is exactly that kind of impulse buying we want to discourage. A person too impatient to go through an adoption process is probably not patient enough to care for a parrot. Someone unwilling to pay a modest adoption fee is not likely to spend the money that avian veterinary care or healthy food will cost.
FALSE: Mickaboo refuses to work with pet stores on finding solutions.
THE TRUTH: Besides working with most of the Bay Area's animal shelters, Mickaboo cooperates with several local stores, including Pet Food Express, Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose, and For Other Living Things in Sunnyvale, holding our public classes and adoption fairs at their facilities. We are grateful to anyone else trying to help animals in need, and we will be happy to work with other pet stores as soon as they stop selling live, bred animals. It is not helpful to our cause to promote businesses that continue to sell commercially bred birds, thereby creating the tragic problems we are working so hard to solve.
FALSE: Mickaboo is ideologically opposed to people having pets and wants to outlaw it.
THE TRUTH: Mickaboo was founded and is run entirely by people who love animals and have many in our own homes. We could not devote the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to rescue and rehabilitation work if we didn't. Our concerns are focused on our goal that people make informed choices about acquiring birds and be committed to giving them the attention and care they need. We support responsible pet keeping in many concrete ways. MIckaboo's Web site offers a wealth of information on bird behavior, health and care for the public to read and download. Mickaboo teaches free classes in basic bird care about every two weeks at locations around the Bay Area. We also offer classes on more advanced topics ranging from foraging to lighting to understanding bird body language. And every person who fosters or adopts a bird from Mickaboo automatically becomes part of an active, Web-based discussion group providing support, expert, personal advice, and sometimes emergency help to volunteers and their birds. Mickaboo needs more caring, responsible people, not fewer, to join us in adopting and fostering homeless birds — ours as well as the many beyond our reach.
If you are interested in adopting or fostering a bird or would like to attend one of our classes, volunteer or donate, please visit http://www.mickaboo.org/ or phone 650-450-9104.
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Young
Sent: Jul 17, 2010 11:43 PM
To: Michelle Yesney , Tammy Azzaro , Karen Watkins , Patricia Blau , Mary Long , Jonathan Harris , Matt , Vinny
Subject: Re: Lies and Misstatements draft
Hi folks-
Sleepless in SF here. Just wondering what's going to be happening with this powerful piece. I'd like to post it on my blog and share it with lots of folks and am hoping y'all are going to be doing the same with contacts/venues that you're aware of.
Jonathan- do you have a final, proofed version?
Please advise.
Thanks!
e
