What You Can Do
1. Do not promote the "pet" bird industry. Rather than purchasing from a pet shop, adopt companion birds from reputable sanctuaries or through bird referral adoption programs.
2. Keep a watchful eye on your local pet shops and report any abuse or substandard conditions to your local animal shelter and write complaint letters to the management and to their corporate headquarters. Ask pet shop retailers to stop selling birds and small animals and threaten to boycott their stores until they stop selling live animals.
3. Politely voice your objection when you see birds in inappropriate environments such as restaurants and retail stores. Threaten to boycott their stores until they place the birds in appropriate environments.
4. Seek to learn more about proper care and guardianship of companion birds and educate others about them.
5. Continue to learn more about bird abuse and the pet bird industry. Ask local shelters and animal protection groups to include birds in their educational literature or distribute IDA's
literature.
6.
Although some domesticated birds have been known to survive after their release into the wild, never release a domesticated bird into the wild. In nearly all instances these birds suffer from the elements, are attacked by predators, or starve to death before dying an agonizing death.
7. Get involved with legislation to create laws that protect captive birds.
For more information, read IDA’s Exotic Birds
Factsheet.
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