Renewing the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy
While we do our best to help as many birds as possible by giving them a home, or helping them find appropriate homes elsewhere, we know the root causes need to be addressed to really make a difference.
That’s why opportunities such as political and legislative submissions are so important. While these only impact the regions they carry jurisdiction over, they provide a chance to effect meaningful change at a legal level, so animal welfare standards can be changed and enforced properly.
To that end, this is an excerpt from our recent submission.
Our discussions with avian vets, and with other rescue organisations, have highlighted the main issues impacting the wellbeing of birds: note, this list is by no means exhaustive.
Cages, even those adhering to RSPCA minimum recommended sizing, causing fitness and psychological issues for birds when not given sufficient flight time or enrichment.
Seed-only diets, as often presented in pet shops, resulting in malnutrition, malnutrition-related illness, and often premature death.
Wing-clipping, particularly at a young age, resulting in muscular development issues for the bird, and impacting their ability to fly correctly at a later age.
Lack of companionship by another bird of their own species, often resulting in boredom, self-harm (through feather plucking, for example), and other behavioural issues. These are also common reasons for the birds being surrendered or rehomed.
Inappropriate toys–particularly those with cotton or rope–being the direct cause of such conditions as crop impaction, which often result in death for the bird.
Currently, Australia’s animal welfare legislation broadly encompasses provisions for all companion animals, with dogs gaining particular focus with specific protections through public consultation in 2019. We strongly believe that companion birds require a similar consultation for recognition of their complex needs and to begin to educate the public about pet bird care.
In particular, what we consider priority changes, include:
An independent branch for companion birds, recognising their diverse and individual needs when compared to more domesticated companion animals.
Restrictions on backyard breeding, similar to those implemented for dogs (and cats).
Great power for the RSPCA to intervene in bird care practices:
For domestic purposes:
Enforcing adequate enclosure sizing
The provision of correct diet to prevent malnutrition
Making wing clipping illegal, except for situations when doing so is in the
best medical interests of the bird, as advised by avian veterinarian
For breeding/commercial purposes:
All birds bred for sale must be avian vet checked and cleared
Breeders must be registered along with birds they produce
The mandatory keeping of at least two individuals of the same species, to cater for their instinctive flocking behaviours, which is essential to their mental and physical wellbeing.
As a final note, we believe with the increasing companion animal cruelty cases emerging in recent years, and our own experiences with cruelty and neglect cases we have witnessed, licencing or training should be mandatory for all companion animal owners.
