Animals with rights - and so it begins...

[Pajarita]

First time this happens but it will continue and, eventually, companion and highly intelligent animals will no longer be mere property. It's just a matter of time because the scientific evidence is simply overwhelming. Kudos to the judge for realizing that!

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http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/j ... ar-AAbqjQo

[Wolf]

I also read this article and the judge has only granted an appeal to hear both sides and then will make a ruling. The fact that she even granted an appeal was far more than the other appellate judges would do, but we will have to wait on the verdict after the hearings.

[Pajarita]

Yes, but the fact that the judge is actually considering it a possibility is a HUGE step in the right direction, if you ask me.

[Wolf]

I reread the article and yet another one on this case, and it seems that by granting a writ of habeous corpus that the judge did in fact declare the chimps are persons de facto. Since the laws concerning the writ state that it can only be applied to a person.

[Pajarita]

Yes, but it can be 'thrown off' and it would go back to what it was but, like I said, the fact that there was one judge that thought the concept has merit is very important as it sets a legal precedent.

[Michael]

Don't get too excited, those animal rights people would just as well like to see your birds taken away on the same grounds

[Pajarita]

Michael, that is just PIJAC talking. Other countries have done it and nobody got their birds taken away so why would it happen here? They even sent a letter around stating exactly that same nonsense years back but it's just scare tactics (I also think it's an insult to people's intelligence) by the very powerful and billionaire pet industry because it would not benefit them if animals were treated better (Lord forbid their bottom line suffers and they end up making millions instead of billions!). Anybody who loves birds should want them to have a right to good care and not be treated like a mere possession. Nobody is arguing that parrots as pets are, unfortunately for them, here to stay but, at least, let's give them as good a life as we can.

[AnimalAffinity]

I agree, I think some laws should be passed for the keeping of parrots, now anybody can purchase a parrot, without proper knowledge and facilities and I strongly believe that parrots while more common are as intelligent as monkeys, dolphins, etc.

[Pajarita]

Yes, they are not only highly intelligent, they are also incredibly loving and it's a shame that, legally, they are consider no better than a table.

[Michael]

You don't want a bureaucratic government agency telling you what you can and can't do with your bird. You can be certain that the people who make the laws will know even less about parrots than the most incompetent parrot owner you've ever met. Most of it will just be fines to collect money for the government with no interest to actual animal welfare.

Other laws may even be a danger to the animals just because somebody thinks it's a noble cause. For example, in a few European countries wing clipping has been outlawed. While I am one of the strongest proponents of not clipping, I don't think it would be safe for that to just become a mandated law overnight. It's fare more important that people come to realize that flight is good and learn to manage it safely than to follow the law, not clip wings, and condemn the bird to life in cage or let it get lost. You cannot make a law that people have to treat their pets with respect. You can only make laws pertaining to certain actions and those actions are entirely arbitrary.

If the government has power to regulate this, then they can also come up with absurdly restrictive laws. In some countries they regulate cage size. What's to stop the animal rights fanatics from raising the cage size limit to an absurd point that makes ownership entirely impossible? Who is to actually say that a 20x20 cage is too small but a 24x24 cage is legal for the same bird? Why not 48x48 or an aviary the size of a house? Once you let the bureaucrats in, you can be certain it will cost money but you cannot be certain of anything good ever coming out of it.

Education is the only way. Showing people how intelligent and valuable these creatures are, educating them on good care, shining the light, helping them actually make it work. That's the only way to actually improve parrot welfare.