It's difficult to know exactly what to do and who to turn to if you witness and act of abuse or know of a neglectful situation. Unfortunately, many government and state animal agencies seem unable or unwilling to get involved when captive exotic birds are the animals being treated poorly. Here are some suggestions to help you:
* Contact Us! We will do our best to assist you. Or check out our Member's Page and contact someone closer to home.
* Check out this page on bird abuse for more good information.
*Contact your local bird club. If you don't know the address/phone number, check out Bird Talk Magazine's listing of bird clubs. Many clubs have the resources to help in situations of abuse.
* Contact the party in question and express your concern in a polite and friendly manner. Perhaps they simply don't know they're being neglectful and need someone to point them in the right direction. If you speak to them and receive a response that doesn't satisfy you, you may have to dig a little deeper into the situation.
First, do not make your intentions known to anyone unless you are sure you can trust them. If the store owner(s) is tipped off, it could ruin your efforts. Second, get photos of the conditions in the store that you find to be neglectful/abusive. Go a few times to get pictures, and if you can find someone you trust to also get pictures, that will help too.Third, contact your state's Dept. of Agriculture and the local Humane Society and request in writing all reports/complaints/records they have in regards to the particular store you are investigating. They have to provide these to you under the Freedom of Information Act. You
should also be able to work with the Dept. of Agriculture if they feel you have a case.
Be persistent. If you find people you trust who want to help, by all means allow them to help. The more complaints they receive, the more likely the USDA or the Humane Society/SPCA will help you. Be prepared for failure, but hope for the best. It's not easy to shut down a pet shop. Most importantly, don't resort to radical tactics, threatening phone calls, etc. These only serve to annoy the store owner, who could not only take out his/her aggression on the animals, but also pack up and leave town with no forwarding address. The store owner will probably just open another store under another name.If all else fails, go public! If you've exhausted your resources and have been told that there is nothing that law enforcement can do, it's time to re-organize. Check out this campaigning information from PETA, which will tell you how to go about holding public protests. Be sure to
also contact the media with allegations of abuse and neglect. Contact information is below:
National News Media: People Magazine: People_Letters@timeinc.com
Be sure to also contact your local television stations and newspapers.Keep scrolling down for more information on how to contact the media.
Researching animal cruelty statutes
* If you're really dedicated, find out what you can do to change the animal cruelty laws!
*Check your state's pending animal protection legislation by going to your state's home page and searching the House/Assembly and Senate websites for animal legislation. Then contact your senators and assemblyperson in support of increased animal protection!
* Read more by visiting the Rutger's Animal Law Page's Library.
* Research the Anti-Cruelty Statutes in your state and decide if you can get any authorities involved. (Be aware that if authorities intervene the birds may be taken and "held" until a court proceeding, which isn't always the best option). Also, check and see if animal cruelty is a misdemeanor or a felony in your state. Check out another page for laws on animal cruelty. Be aware that birds are not defined as "animals" and therefore aren't legally protected at this time. However, getting authorities like Animal Control involved for dog and cat infractions can help the captive birds in the store also. Here's another good page on the anti-cruelty laws: http://www.ddal.org/crueltystatutes.html. Did you know that the AFA (American Federation of Aviculture) is actually against most, if not all, legislation that would protect captive exotic birds? Read more here!
* Also check out the Federal Animal Welfare Act and Regulations. and brief summaries of federal animal protection statutes from them Institute for Animal Rights Law.
Governmental Agencies
* The Department of Agriculture regulates pet stores (look for your state's Dept. of Agriculture by doing a search). If you are going to take on a pet shop in an attempt to get it shut down, be aware that this rarely happens. The most a bad pet store will get is often a citation. Still, persistance may pay off.
* Contact your local humane law enforcement office. This could be the sherrif, police department, SPCA, animal control, etc. Check your local phone book for contact information. Before you call, try to identify the particular law that is being violated by the pet shop, individual, or organization. The laws in your states regarding animal cruelty can usually be found on your state's Dept. of Agriculture webpage, or you can check here: http://www.animal-law.org/statutes/. You'll also want to check the federal statutes to see if those laws are more stringent than your state's laws.
* If you have purchased an exotic bird that has later become sick and/or died and you believe you may file a lawsuit, DO NOT reveal any details to anyone except a lawyer. People have a tendency to sometimes share their experiences on the internet, which can actually hinder a lawsuit, and might possibly cause a lawsuit to be brought against you! Also, do not contact the pet store if you plan to file a lawsuit until you have a lawyer. If you do not wish to sue the store, and you simply wish compensation for veterinary bills, please wait until all tests are completed and all results are available. In contacting the pet store, you may have more clout if you let them know that you are in contact with other animal agencies, such as humane societies and SPCAs. Sadly, many petstores will simply offer to replace the bird for you. Birds diagnosed with a zoonotic disease such as Psittacosis need to be reported to your state's Department of Health (DOH). The store should be quarantined, and could possibly be shut down if there are enough violations. You can find contact information for your DOH on your state's home page or in your local phone book.
Animal Protection Groups
* Try contacting PETA. They may not agree with your particular views on keeping parrots, but they have been consistent in their efforts to protect captive exotic birds from mistreatment.
* Contact the Humane Society. Click Here to find out what the HSUS says you should do if you witness an act of abuse or neglect.
* Contact the ASPCA. They can often provide you with information on state and federal laws that can help you, or other agencies in your area who can help.
* Contact a local Avian Welfare or Rights Organization for help. They may be able to point you in the right direction.
* Contact a parrot rescue or sanctuary organization. They might know of local law enforcement agencies who can help you.
* Check out the Citizen Lobbyist Center from the HSUS.
The Media
Write letters to the editor, or contact specific journalists to do an investigative report on the pet industry, or on a specific pet store chain or individual store.
*Check out this online parrot magazine, The Parrot Chronicles, for information related to parrots and parrot rescue.
Read more step-by-step suggestions about how to handle neglect and cruelty issues on our More Resources page.
