There. Now I feel better. I sent this to LA Times' Maria (and yes Vinny-
that is the reporter- thank you for the links).
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Young
Date: Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 3:04 PM
Subject: A Letter from Mickaboo's Founding Director & Some Facts about
Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue
To: Maria.LaGanga@latimes.com
Cc: Tammy Azzaro , Michelle Yesney <
msyesney@gmail.com>
Hello, Maria-
Thank you ever so much for making time to interview me today about the
plight of homeless birds and Mickaboo's support for the proposed ban on pet
sales in SF. As much as I enjoy speaking as a Mickaboo volunteer, I also
fear having just *my* words speak for such an important organization as
Mickaboo. Below, I've pasted a letter from our founding director, Tammy
Azzaro (cc'd) as is our CEO Michelle Yesney. They are true leaders within
Mickaboo. I just happened to attend that SF ACWC meeting on 6/10! And,
below that, I've pasted a response to some false assertions made by pet
sellers and breeders that was written by another Mickaboo volunteer,
Jonathan Harris.
Please don't hesitate to give me a call (or to reach out to Michelle and
Tammy) for any follow up info. Unwanted and homeless pets can't speak up
for themselves so they need others to do it for them.
All best wishes,
Elizabeth
*Letter from Founding Director*
My name is Tammy Azzaro. I am a founder and director of Mickaboo Companion
Bird Rescue and a Registered Veterinary Technician in California. Mickaboo
is an all-volunteer non profit bird rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming
organization. We take in the abandoned, unwanted and surrendered birds from
individuals, pet stores, shelters and veterinarians when the birds need
medical care, socialization and placement.
I wanted to write and express my support of the proposed ban on pet sales in
San Francisco.
San Francisco has always been at the forefront of positive change so I am
thrilled at the prospect of "my" city adopting such a progressive policy.
I know there have been a lot of arguments from local pet store owners who
will be financially impacted if this ban takes effect. However, the
positive economic impact this ban will have on government run shelters which
often end up with unwanted and/or abandoned pets can not be overlooked. It
will definitely have a positive impact on our rescue intake numbers. When I
started Mickaboo Rescue nearly 15 years ago, we were dealing with
approximately 25-30 birds per year going through our system. Now, we have
hundreds of homeless birds and in 2009 we took in over 400 birds, most of
which originally came from pet stores. Also, at that time, it was very rare
for us to get in the larger species like Macaws, African Greys and Amazon
Parrots. Now, due to the rampant availability of these species at pet
stores driving their monetary value down and the ease with which anyone can
purchase one through a pet store setting, we have hundreds of those larger
species coming in annually as well. Many of these birds have been neglected
or abused to the point of excessive screaming, aggression and self
mutilation. You can see the sheer number of homeless birds in our
organization alone on our website: www.mickaboo.com
Many people know about the horrors of puppy mills, the negative effects such
places can have on the socialization and medical health of dogs and the huge
over-population problem most California cities have with cats and dogs.
However, not many people see bird over-population as a problem. I can
attest to the fact that bird over-population IS a problem and is getting
worse every year. Mickaboo works through a network of dedicated foster
homes and we can not keep up with the constant need for homes. We have to
prioritize the sick, injured and shelter birds and we have to regularly turn
away healthy, well socialized birds due to lack of space in our foster
system. If this law passes, it will stop the flood that has been building
in San Francisco over the past decade. If we do not do something to protect
these special animals, we will see more and more end up at shelters and
being euthanized due to lack of space. Although birds are smaller than most
dogs and cats and take up less space at shelters, their care requires more
specialized knowledge so the pool of potential homes is smaller. Also,
their life-span is much longer than most other pet animals so that makes it
much more difficult to secure them a lifelong home. If SF adopts this new
ban, I can assure you there will still be plenty of birds in the shelter and
rescue systems for folks who want to add a feathered friend to their
family. We can provide data that shows the number of birds we have
available for adoption now vs. just several years ago to show the staggering
increase which will only get worse over time.
As a long-time rescue worker, bird lover and San Francisco native, I ask
that you please support the pet store sales ban. This ban does NOT mean 'no
pets' for San Franciscans---what it means is 'homes' for those we already
have in our shelter systems.
Sincerely,
Tammy Azzaro, RVT
Director, Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue
----
*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 sellers has attempted to dismiss the problem.
Some in that group also have 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, opponents to the ban have 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. They also claim Mickaboo's "high" fees and "burdensome"
adoption procedures are what create any appearance of a crisis by
discouraging adoption and producing a backlog of unadopted birds. They
portray Mickaboo as a "radical Animal Rights group" whose ultimate goal is
nothing less than the complete prohibition of pet ownership.
Besides 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 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, happy 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. Even small parrots like cockatiels
can live 30 years, larger species 50–100 years, but their human companions
often tire of them long before that. As people who purchased birds on
impulse confront the difficulties and cost of caring for these complex,
demanding, essentially wild animals, many 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. And
as the American population ages, more people are having to relinquish
long-lived birds because they can no longer care for them. 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 trend
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. The number of birds Mickaboo
sees are a tiny fraction of the total in California, to say nothing of the
US. All the while, more birds continue to be bred and sold.
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 (Sunset Pet Supply, San Francisco; 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).
There are some 20 pet stores in San Francisco that do not sell animals. We
regret the effect banning bird sales might have on the income of some 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 lifelong 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 in it. Even
without physical facilities or paid employees, the cost of our rescue work
is staggering. Mickaboo makes a lifetime commitment to each bird it rescues
and will take back any of our adopted birds and foster them again for as
long as necessary to find permanent homes or for the rest of their lives.
Many of our rescues 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
(sometimes not provided, 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 sell
commercially bred birds, contributing to 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 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.
--
Elizabeth
Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt.
www.RescueReport.org http://www.rescuereport.org/
www.MickaCoo.org http://www.mickacoo.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0
--
Elizabeth
Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt.
www.RescueReport.org
www.MickaCoo.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0
