Abstract
Virtually everyone reading these words drove an automobile within the last day or two. I hope you had your driver's license in your possession. To drive without it is a criminal offense. Come to think of it, medical doctors must be licensed, veterinarians are licensed, teachers must have a credential, most businesses are licensed, the contractor working on your home should be licensed, the very store to which you drove your licensed car has a license to sell groceries. If you go fishing you need a license, hunters need licenses, tournament participants in my own sport of judo are registered with a black belt association. Think of it, dear friends, to be legitimate even your dog must be registered, and to be legal the dog must have a license.
How in the world can you believe the government will overlook the multi-billion dollar bird industry?
Indeed, the zoological parks, aviculture and the pet trade have long been in the mind of government, from the local level up to state and federal agencies. With the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA), the Federal Government has gotten serious. The AFA (and many others, some of whom are not our friends) received the following letter:
United States Department of the Interior
FISH AND WIIDLIFE SERVICE Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Wild Bird Conservation Act Cooperator:
As you know, the Wild Bird Conservation Act (Act) which was enacted October 23, 1992, requires that "the Secretary, on consultation with appropriate representatives of industry, the conservation community, the Secretariat of the Convention, and other national and international bodies, shall -
(I) review opportunities for a voluntary program of labeling exotic birds, certification of exotic bird breeding facilities and retail outlets' and provision of privately organized on funded technical assistance to other nations; and
(2) report to the Congress the results of this review within 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act."
That date is fast approaching. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is currently very occupied with preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Numerous U.S. avicultural, conservation, animal welfare, and trade organizations will participate in that meeting as Observers. The Service has also been very involved with promulgation of regulations implementing the provisions of the Act. In fact, the final rule listing approved captive-bred species will be published soon.
In accordance with the Act, and in an attempt to comply with the intent of Congress that we review the aforementioned opportunities, the Service would like to initiate a discussion of this topic and invites your review and input. Would you be interested in participating in a working meeting to discuss the above and exchange ideas? What are your thoughts on these issues? Such a meeting would serve as a working session to be used by the Service to initiate a discussion of the opportunities for a voluntary program of labeling exotic birds,
certification of exotic bird breeding facilities and retail outlets, and technical assistance. We recognize from some comments that we received on regulations implementing the Act, that an interest exits on the above topics.
There will be several discussions at the COP pertaining to the marking of live wildlife, and other aspects of wild bird conservation. Therefore, we think it appropriate to open up this dialogue after the CITES meeting. The Service would probably schedule a meeting of interested groups for early next year.
The Service appreciates your interest in the conservation of exotic birds and looks forward to working with you on this topic. We have sent this letter to the enclosed list of organizations. Please feel free to distribute it to others that might be interested. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Susan Lieberman, Chief, Branch of Operations, in this office. Sincerely,
Marshall Jones, Chief
Office of Management Authority
It seems to me that the letter says two things that are of critical importance. First, birds must be marked ("labeled" in the letter); aviaries and pet stores must be certified; and the private sector must fund some technical assistance to other nations.
Second, the Fish and Wildlife Service must find out if the private sector is willing and able to do these things through voluntary programs or not and then report their findings to Congress.
You can be absolutely sure that if we don't have appropriate voluntary programs, the government will install the programs for us---on a mandatory basis and to their own ends. We cannot let this happen.
Laurella Des borough, AFA president, is in the process of mobilizing a number of AFA experts to attend the meeting and to present the AFA's plan. But she and the AFA will also need the back up of all AFA members and, indeed, all persons interested in keeping American aviculture alive.
Let me present my opinion, that is, what I'd like to see happen, indeed, what I feel must happen. First off, these are not my ideas alone. They arose independently in the minds of numerous individuals and were somewhat refined in mutual conversation. These ideas are still forming and building but this is how I understand them at the moment. It is understood, as I said in my last editorial, that the AFA has to take the lead in pull-ing the private sector together to meet the present challenges. No other entity cando it.