Who Really Are The Heros Of Katrina?

So, with all of the rumors regarding animal rescue during Katrina, who really are the real heros? I'm not there to see with my own eyes. But I do know that there are many, many good-intentioned people going through some changes of their own right now. People maybe who once had the "concept" of a better system to save our animals in need of rescue. But that's all it was, a concept. They may have fantisized about a better system, they may have even given a small attempt to join in on the fight to protect our animal friends. But they really didn't realize the enormity of the problem until they became directly involved saving hundreds of lives of innocent creatures all absolutely traumatized and devestated by Katrina, and now, Rita. These people who once lived on a concept, now have the actual hands-on, roll-your-sleeves-up experience in what it takes to DO the WORK so many are unwilling or unable to do. These heros have been through the fire and they lay in the ashes now wondering what hit them. But just like the great Phoenix, they will rise from these ashes, get up tomorrow morning and do "it" all over again. Why? Because their concept has been transformed into a reality that cannot be ignored. Their perception of the "system" has been forever changed and their mission has solidified their very reason for becoming a part of the solution simply because they have been and still are, in the trenches. Who are the heros? The people who are STILL in LA DOING the WORK that everyone else tired of. The people who took animals back to their sanctuary to nurse back to health, at their OWN expense and time. These are THE HEROS OF KATRINA. We salute all of you who have been through the storm, literally, and are rising from the ashes, literally. THANK YOU for being our feet, our hands, our hearts, when we could not be where you have been, where you ARE! Machelle

In The Wake Of Katrina - Animal / Bird Hoarding Is More Than An Issue!

Who would have ever thought that the largest natural disaster in the entire history of the good ol' USA would have brought about an open opportunity for true hero's to be slandered while the more covert operators were to be left unnoticed? Well, that's just what's happenin' folks, right here in our own backyard.
We have heard about the mis-management of government agencies both local, state and federal during the rescue operations performed immediately following Katrina. Most of those reports centered around human lives. But what about the animals, in particular, the companion birds? Not much was said, if anything, about them on major news group channels. Perfect opportunity presented.
Perfect opportunity for bird hoarders to creep in, under the guise of rescuers and sanctuaries, to scoop up all of the abandoned, displaced and desperate birds! Many of these birds are exotics. EXPENSIVE exotics. The common bird hoarder/collector knows exactly what their value is, both to sell and trade as well as to use for breeding stock.
Many a bird was literally snatched up and then quickly and quietly wisked away to someone's van, garage, cellar or backyard. No one knows these birds are displaced, except the previous caregiver, the bird and .....the hoarder/collector/trader. No one is the wiser that these birds are alive or dead. The breeding and trading ensues without further ado.
The next thing we know, in this already confusing world of "civilty" for avian exotics, these "not-quite-domesticated pets" begin to exhibit signs of stress and trauma. They begin to pick and pluck their feathers, become increasingly aggressive to the point of being down right mean and nasty attacking anyone attempting to handle them, or, on the flip side, timid, bashful, fearful. They may resign into a dark world where they become anti-social and slowly dwindle away to nothing more than a skinny body with scabs from self-mutilation, a few feathers on their head where they can't reach to pull them out. Their physical and emotional health may decline rapidly, or slowly, depending on the immediate situation and how many times the bird is traded and transported. Eventually the bird will come to a final destination where it may be used as a trophy piece for exhibit, or even worse, as a breeder. When it doesn't accommodate the breeding facility it is disguarded like yesterday's trash, thrown into the already flooding sea of unwanted, misunderstood avian exotics.
So what do we do BEFORE next time? If we are to protect these beautiful species, these wonderfully unique flighted creatures, we need the avian community to come together NOW, FINALLY and act on the behalf of the supreme welfare to not only protect, but to regain the security they once enjoyed as a wild creature in their natural habitat.
For many a "domesticated" bird (I say that loosely because avian exotics are not considered domesticated pets), it's far too late for them to be returned to the wild. They simply don't have the skills to survive in such a raw world as the animal kingdom in its natural environment. They are left in limbo depending on humans for the remainder of their life, their VERY LONG life (as much as 70 years or more). They will have to be left in the The Last Testament and Will of their caregiver to be passed on to be placed in the mercy of someone else's care . This creates havoc in a bird's life, as they are slow, very slow to adjust to any change at all. Let alone the aftermath of Katrina and the massive amount of trauma left in a bird's Pysche from such disaster and displacement.
But what about the birds who still live in the wild? How do we keep them there, where they belong? How do we stop the covert poaching, hoarding, breeding, trading that stems from their own land?
It's time to really sit back and take a long hard look at what is and just what isn't being done in the avian community at large to protect the species without breeding them as though they are mere chattel. It's time to require breeders to log their stock's bloodlines and demand that they keep track of each and every bird that leaves their facility. It's time to boycott buying birds at high prices and it's time to begin adopting from the overflowing avian sanctuaries, real sanctuaries, not breeders disguised as sanctuaries. Not one more bird should be hatched in the aviary of anyone's backyard or facility until ALL of the sanctuary birds have permanent, safe homes with reliable families.
It's time to stop the opportunists. Now.
No one person or organization has the absolute answer. But if all of us in the avian community could just once and for all tear down our walls, bridge our gaps and work together, peacefully, then all of us could finally regain our credibility and take a tall and proud stand and claim truthfully "It's about the birds". Period.