From now on, I plan on check into the back ground of these Rescue Facilities.
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I found this article extremely interesting.

The New York Companion Bird Club recently wrote to The Gabriel Foundation expressing concern over our position statement on breeding. The Gabriel Foundation is always willing to address constructive concerns and criticisms.



Please let me clarify The Gabriel Foundation's statement on breeding and by what we mean when we say, "The Gabriel Foundation is pleased to support responsible and ethical breeders who implement the very best standards of care for the needs of the psittacine and parrot-like birds raised and housed in their aviaries."



I'll start by introducing myself - I am the new Executive Director of The Gabriel Foundation. I came to TGF in July 2005 after working with the American Humane Association, a national animal welfare organization. I have a strong background working with animal sheltering agencies, disaster response, and issues affecting the welfare of companion animals. Having worked with so many animal shelters, I have seen firsthand the horror of pet overpopulation in this country and others. Every year, 5-9 million cats and dogs are euthanized in our nation's shelters. Those are staggering numbers.



While parrots are currently not entering shelters in the same large numbers as cats and dogs, there is a growing parrot overpopulation problem developing across the country. The Gabriel Foundation started in 1996 with just over 30 birds in the Aviary and Adoption Center. Now we have 250. With each passing year, there is a growing demand for our services, so much so that we are now constructing a 40,000 sq. ft. facility to accommodate a larger flock. We field calls every day form local shelters needing help with parrots surrendered to their care.



The Gabriel Foundation is a nonprofit parrot welfare organization that cares for hundreds of homeless companion birds each year. We do not give monetary support to breeding programs. Obviously, because we operate an Adoption Center, through all of our outreach programs we try to educate current and would-be parrot owners about the pitfalls of acquiring a baby bird and to consider adoption of an older bird first. The Gabriel Foundation’s policy is to adopt our birds into exclusively companion animal situations.



But, we are also realistic. Whether any of us likes it or not, some people will always choose to purchase a baby animal. They believe the myth that in order to bond with a human, the bird must be a baby. Ours is a democratic society and we cannot force people to adopt an animal. For this essential reason, we recognize that making a significant impact for parrots in this country means working in a collaborative, non-threatening approach, with responsible breeders willing to adhere to a high standard of breeding practices. According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, only 10-20% of new pets are acquired from animal shelters and rescues. The overwhelming majority of new pets still come from breeders whether they be backyard breeders, incidental litters, or those with a breeder license. The Gabriel Foundation feels it is important to provide information to prospective purchasers intent on acquiring a baby or young parrot to at least select a breeder who is providing the very best standards of care for those birds.



The Gabriel Foundation believes that if we can bring together field biologists, researchers, conservationists and others working with the species in the wild with breeders, aviculturists and veterinarians working with birds as companion animals in an information exchange we can tremendously grow the inventory of credible information and resources available on parrot health and care. From this information exchange, we can improve our species awareness, husbandry standards, social structures, nutrition, and behavior modification and training methods.



We are committed to making a difference for parrots regardless of where that may take us. Our interest is in raising the level of acceptable husbandry practices for companion parrots and to educate on what it truly means to live with a wild animal like a parrot. We feel that by doing this we can begin to make a difference where it is needed most. Ultimately, we hope to create an environment where we can apply some lessons learned from the tragic cat and dog overpopulation in this country to the plight of companion parrots.



I hope that further clarifies what we mean when we say we support responsible breeders, and I truly hope you will not think ill of The Gabriel Foundation. As we work to build our Aviary and Adoption Center, we need more support now than ever before. With the construction of this facility, we are making a long-term commitment to all of the birds in our care, and we can not do it alone.



Please feel free to contact us directly with any other questions and keep up the good work in New York!



Sincerely,



Anna Gonce

Executive Director

The Gabriel Foundation

The Gabriel Foundation®

info@thegabrielfoundation.org

303-629-5900 x 200