A sad photo.

[Chantilly]

Here I was thinking I had taken a perfect picture, then I saw what he saw. A happy picture requires a happy bird.

'The saddest thing about aivery birds is that the thing reflecting their eyes, are cage bars.'

image.jpg (72.94 KiB) Viewed 4863 times

[Wolf]

While this statement may be true, it somewhat depends on your perception. The bars that prevent them from having the lives that they were born to have can't be seen. These visible bars are mostly required for their protection from our world as they are not equipped to deal with a human world and we have stolen their world from them.

[Chantilly]

Yes, but as an aivery bird all it has is its cage, and a mate if it is lucky. But for the aivery birds without a mate or human interaction, it is a sad life. Even if they don know it.
Thats my thoughts anyway

[Wolf]

Ah, but that is the thing, it may be an aviary bird, but that does not mean that there is no interaction, nor do we know if it has a mate or not. That is just speculation at this point. Some bird live cage free in a house, some of them do it in a bird room, some of them may or may not have mates and some may or may not have interaction with humans and they could be said to be aviary birds. The only difference in the cage that most of us have and an aviary is the size of the cage. How much interaction and with whom, humans or other birds is a different matter. A regular cage, an aviary, a bird room or even a whole house are all still just another form of cage to a being that we have stolen the skies from. That is most likely what the photographer is trying to convey with this picture. This bird may well have a mate and plenty of interaction with its chosen human, if it has one, but none of this is conveyed by the photo. The only thing being conveyed is that the bird is caged as opposed to being free.

[Pajarita]

Yes, well, although I agree with Wolf in the sense that, regardless how well we think we have them, it can never compare to what they deserve and evolved to have, I still think that there is a difference between keeping a bird in a small cage versus a large cage versus a room versus an aviary. I don't know what you mean by 'aviary birds', here in the States, aviary birds are the ones that even when handfed still require the company of another bird of their own species because the human bond is never deep enough to satisfy the bird. And, what we call aviaries here are extra large, roomy, well built outdoor cages that parrots really enjoy (sunshine, nature, room to fly, plants, etc). One of my dreams is to have one for mine... I keep on planning about it but something always comes up and the money I was counting on ends up been spent somewhere else.

[Wolf]

Yes, Pajarita, there is a difference between all of these ways of keeping a bird or birds and it is far more than just the size but for the purposes of the picture and for what I was trying to say they are still cages. But the strongest and most insidious of all cages are the ones that can't be seen, still regardless of that a cage is still a cage regardless of the material that it is made of or regardless of how spacious it is or how comfortable it is.. Still both of us know that the physical cage is not the one that keeps a bird from being able to be returned to its natural world. It is the one that no one sees that makes them dependent upon us and tricks them into trusting us. and it is a cage made in the mind, emotion and spirit of the bird and which most people never even give a thought to because they can't see and touch it in the normal manner, the physical senses.

[Chantilly]

An aivery to me is a cage for a bird in your backyard that is their to breed or because the person prizes it or thinks it is pretty. It is not actually loved. Thats my oppinion anyway. Of course not everyone with an aivery treats their birds like that, but I know some that do. Their is a local guy that wants to 'trade' macaws for species of equal value. The new owners where I voluteer only see money in the birds and dont actually love them or give them the attention they require. The guy we bought Tilly from, shortly after getting her was said to not have weather proof aiveries and that his aiveries that were dangerous (And I know he dosnt love his birds..). What I was getting at is when the bird behind bars, or any bird at that, is treated like this, it is not a fair life. And I find it sad that people get so wrapped up in money that they stop loving their birds (if they did in the first place.)
Though I dont doubt that allot of people love their birds as pets, their are definately allot that only love them for being a profit, and dont actually care about the living creature behind the 'pretty' feathers.

[Wolf]

It is sad, but true that there are many people who can only value a thing due to its monetary worth and see nothing beyond that, and I can't figure out which I feel the most sorry for, but probably more for the birds. This is one of the good things about a forum is that we can hopefully make a difference in this over time. It will take a lot of time for peoples attitude about this to change so that people who keep their birds in this manner will find no profit in it because no one will want any of their birds at any price.

People have to be educated so that their attitudes change and then they will help to enact the laws that forbid treating birds in the manner that you have described and that is when most of it will stop. I wish that there were an easier and faster way, but I don't know one.

[Chantilly]

It is sad, but true that there are many people who can only value a thing due to its monetary worth and see nothing beyond that, and I can't figure out which I feel the most sorry for, but probably more for the birds. This is one of the good things about a forum is that we can hopefully make a difference in this over time. It will take a lot of time for peoples attitude about this to change so that people who keep their birds in this manner will find no profit in it because no one will want any of their birds at any price.

People have to be educated so that their attitudes change and then they will help to enact the laws that forbid treating birds in the manner that you have described and that is when most of it will stop. I wish that there were an easier and faster way, but I don't know one.

I agree with what you have said, and I hope that it will happen, and that people will stop, even if it must take a while.

[Pajarita]

I believe in educating people but I also think that if we are going to count on education for things to get better for animals, we better not hold our breaths. The thing is that it all goes down to two things: empathy and greed. Now, unfortunately for the animals (which all, captive or wild, in one way or another, depend on us for their wellbeing), people evolved to live in small social groups so they have 'line of vision empathy'. They 'feel' for their own, their family, their dogs, their birds, etc but they don't 'feel' for all the others that are not 'theirs'. And then, there is greed where anything goes and can be justified as long as the individual makes the kind of 'living' he feels he is entitled to.

And that's why you need to push for laws - because you can't count on people to do the right thing. It's not in their nature. Every single big social change needed laws: slavery, desegregation, child labor, women's vote, etc. If humankind had waited for a people's consensus for all these things to come about, we would still be living in caves.