The Avian Protection Society
What's Wrong with Raffling Birds?
That's an interesting question. Many of us in the avian welfare community tend to agree that live birds should never be raffled or given away as prizes in contests. We have a few reasons why we feel this practice is unethical.
1. It's illegal. In some states, it's actually illegal to use live animals as prizes. Check your state's laws by going to your state's homepage and checking the legislation.
2. It's irresponsible. Considering the number of parrots that are given up due to various normal behaviors (screaming, destruction, messiness, biting, etc.), and behavioral problems (excessive screaming, feather destructive behaviors, etc.), we must conclude that parrots can be very difficult animals to live with. Given that, we cannot condone the practice of giving away these animals that clearly need to live with humans who have thought through the decision to care for a parrot. We do not feel that organizations that hold these kinds of raffles are able to screen new owners properly.
3. Education is often not provided. In the cases of radio stations, various businesses, and other organizations, we do not feel that potential prize winners are provided with the appropriate training and education with regard to the intense, specific needs of parrots. In most cases, potential prize winners make the decision to enter a contest on impulse. Impulse buys of parrots account for many, if not nearly all, of the birds that are re-homed year after year in this country.
4. Contest winners are often not given follow-up resources. Someone who has won a bird in a raffle or contest may go home with their new parrot and have no idea what to do with it. Parrot owners should be given resources such as vet listings, avian behaviorist listings, books and publications on parrot care, a sample of the proper diet to be fed, and other resources.
We feel that raffles and contests in which birds are given away as prizes is unethical. There are other prizes that could be used instead, such as cages, food and supplies.
Raffling animals seems like a great way for a club or organization to make money. Many bird clubs claim to have the best interests of the animals in mind, yet by raffling off live birds as a way to raise funds for the club, the animals are being done a grave disservice by the very club that purports to care for them.
When animals are treated as commodities, they are often not afforded the proper care and attention they deserve. Certain bird clubs or avicultural organizations offer live birds as prizes during conventions or bird marts. Claims are made that anyone truly interested in winning a bird will be able to properly care for the animal, since they would not be attending the convention or bird mart unless they had a true interest in avian species.
The truth is that most bird marts and conventions are open to the general public, for a nominal fee. Raffle tickets are often a dollar or two. It is possible that someone with an interest in exotic birds will not necessarily have the knowledge or resources to properly care for this animal.
The use of live animals as prizes is illegal in many states. This fact raises some questions -- why have these states decided it to be unlawful to offer animals as prizes? Perhaps they have recognized the detriment that can be caused to animals when they are treated as fund-raisers. When someone is offered an animal as a prize, there is often no screening process as to the person's qualifications to properly care for that animal. Most raffle winners are not told the problems they may encounter with the prize bird, such as noise levels, mess levels, and the likelihood of the destruction of wood furniture within the prize winner's home. They are often not told of all the expenses that go along with keeping an exotic bird, such as vet visits, specialized diets, play-stands and gyms, multiple cages, toys, etc. The use of live animals as prizes may actually increase the number of animals being relinquished to state-funded animal shelters (as well as privately funded avian rescue organizations), as prize winners realize that they are not able to properly care for their trophy bird.
Many reputable breeders use a strict screening process involving months of education, interaction of the potential buyer with the bird intended for purchase, checking referrals from vets, etc. Reputable breeders would not allow a bird to go to a questionable home, no matter the potential buyer's enthusiasm for exotic birds. Why, then, do reputable bird clubs allow birds to be raffled?
An acceptable and very profitable way to avoid the use of live birds as prizes is to use bird supplies such as cages, toys, and food as prizes. These supplies often cost bird owners hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Many bird owners with multiple birds do not want another bird added to their flock (possibly due to worries of added expense, mess, and the introduction of disease) and will not participate in a raffle in which an animal is the prize. In these cases, supplies are much more valuable to bird owners.
The Capital District Cage Bird Club in Albany, NY does not use birds as raffle prizes, nor do they allow birds to be displayed and/or sold at their annual bird marts.
"The Capital District Cage Bird Club uses no birds as raffle prizes. After much discussion of having birds at a bird mart, it was decided not to go this route! Many reasons led to this decision. We no longer have any birds for sale at the mart; breeders and stores may display pictures of their birds for the public to view. We make every effort to keep the birds safe and unstressed and to protect them from any illness another bird might carry. To have birds at a mart causes impulse buying, which has been proven to not be best for the birds, nor their new caretakers. Too many people looking at a bird, the noise, the confusion and stress the bird may feel is detrimental to what a bird club stands for.
We strive to educate the public, stressing good speakers on knowledgeable subjects in the care of birds of all sizes. Many people come to a Mart to see what's new in products, to browse, fellowship and educating themselves rather than buying birds or buying raffle tickets for them. If you have good vendors, your Bird Mart can be successful.
We have found that having great items of interest such as food, toys, books, gift certificates ,and cages as raffle prizes has worked very well. Raffles are every hour all day long. Refreshments are a big hit, and having people standing by to answer any questions makes a Mart the best! A draw is to have Avian Vets at a table, or as a speaker.
We at the Capital District Cage Bird Club stand by our decision and have done very well with it, gaining the respect from others, and wish all Bird Clubs, for the sake of the birds they represent, would adopt the same standards.
Board Member of The Capital District Bird Club
Albany NY
Exotic birds are wild animals with their own interests. They do not deserve to be treated as fund-raisers for bird clubs and avicultural organizations. As more and more bird clubs realize this, they have experienced positive feedback from bird mart attendees and profits from the raffling of supplies instead of birds.
Some examples of organizations that do not support the use of live animals as prizes and some state's laws regarding their use as prizes are below:
From the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies:
Animals as Prizes:
CFHS believes that the acquisition of an animal should be a deliberate and conscious decision to influence the future well-being of the animal. CFHS is therefore opposed to the awarding of any live animal as a prize or unsolicited present.
Palm Beach, Florida's law regarding the use of animals as prizes:
SECTION 6. SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTATION/ANIMALS AS PRIZES
D. It shall be unlawful for any person or organization whether for profit, non-profit, charity or any other purpose to offer an animal as a prize in response to participation in a game, contest, drawing of chance or any other similar event.
Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' statement regarding the use of animals as prizes
LIVE ANIMALS AS PRIZES
The RNZSPCA is opposed to the giving of live animals as prizes in lotteries and other competitions. Explanatory note: Whatever conditions the prize-giver attempts to impose, these are usually inadequate to secure the future well-being of an animal which comes to be owned by chance rather than as a result of any deliberate or conscious decision.
Iowa's law regarding the use of animals as prizes:
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 99B.22 USE OF ANIMALS AS AWARDS
1 2 OR PRIZES PROHIBITED PENALTY.
1 3 1. A person licensed to conduct games of skill, games of
1 4 chance, or raffles pursuant to this chapter shall not offer to
1 5 give or give an animal as a prize, gift, or door prize as a
1 6 part of the conduct of a game of skill, chance, or raffle.
1 7 2. The department shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter
1 8 17A, prohibiting a licensee under this chapter from awarding
1 9 or giving an animal as a gift, prize, or door prize.
1 10 3. A person who violates this section or a rule adopted
1 11 pursuant to this section is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
1 12 EXPLANATION
1 13 This bill directs the department of inspections and appeals
1 14 to adopt rules prohibiting licensees of raffle games, bingo,
1 15 and other games of skill or chance from giving animals as
1 16 prizes, gifts, or door prizes.
1 17 A violator is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
Pennsylvania's law regarding the use of animals as prizes:
1998 Live Animals As Prizes Prohibited to exclude loophole of offering a cage as a prize and "purchase" of an animal for a penny or quarter.
Ontario, Canada's SPCA's statement regarding the use of animals as prizes:
P.2. PRIZES AND GIFTS
P.2. The Ontario SPCA strongly recommends that animals not be given as prizes or unsolicited gifts.
New York's law regarding the use of animals as prizes:
On October 31, 2001Govenor George Pataki signed into law Bill A08374. This bill amends the agriculture and markets law, in relation to further limiting the use of live animals as prizes.
The SPCA's statement regarding the use of animals as prizes:
Opposes pet animals being offered as gifts or prizes.
Please do not use live birds as prizes at bird club meetings/events, or in any other situation. Cages, food, cleaning supplies, etc., are much better ways for organizations to raise money, and these are prizes that most bird guardians would prefer over a new bird to care for!
