The Sustainability of Keeping Birds as Pets: Should Any Be Kept?

We describe a wide range of unethical and unsustainable practices inherent to the trading and keeping of pet birds. At present, biodiversity and wild bird populations are being greatly harmed and many individual birds have poor welfare. Wild-caught birds should not be sold to the public as pets, or to breeding establishments for several reasons, including because 75-90% of wild-caught birds die before the point of sale and taking birds from the wild has negative effects on biodiversity. The housing provided for pet birds should meet the needs of birds of that species and allow good welfare, for example there should be no small cages but aviaries with space for each bird to exercise adequately, and social birds should be kept in social groups. At present, inadequate housing of many pet birds results in stereotypies and other indicators of poor welfare in birds. Owners should have knowledge of how to provide good nutrition and minimize the risk of disease. Unless these changes are made, keeping birds as pets should not be permitted. New laws are needed to prohibit taking birds from the wild and ensure captive pet birds in conditions that do meet their needs.

Shelter animal management and trends in Taiwan.

Trends in the number of dogs entering and departing Taiwan public shelters are analyzed in this article. There were 40 public shelters surveyed from 2000 to 2005 for dog entries and departures. The results indicate that (a) adoption rates and relinquished animal numbers increased, and euthanasia rates decreased at the beginning of the study, but they are showing signs of reversal; (b) shelters in cities have higher adoption rates than those in rural areas; (c) euthanasia remains the main means of controlling dog numbers in most shelters; and (d) potential adopters in Taiwan prioritize animal health and body size when selecting dogs for adoption. There is a need for increased and persistent public education to ensure continued progress is made in encouraging people to treat companion animals responsibly. In addition to educational efforts, creating new, specialized shelters for housing highly adoptable animals can alleviate the space constraint problems in existing kennels and improve the welfare of stray dogs.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in stray dogs in Taipei, Taiwan.

From October 2005 through September 2006, blood samples collected from 1,412 (768 male, 644 female) 1-yr-old and older stray dogs in Taipei City, Taiwan, were tested for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii using the latex agglutination test (LAT). Antibodies (LAT titers >1:32) to T. gondii were found in 284 (20.1%) of the animals. Seroprevalences were not affected by the sex or density of dogs. The prevalence was highest in dogs from the eastern part of the city.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs from slaughterhouses in Taiwan.

From May 2003 to April 2004, blood samples from 395 feeder pigs in Taiwan were examined for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii using the latex agglutination test; antibodies (titer 1:32 or higher) were found in 10.1% of 395 pigs. The results indicate a high prevalence of infection in pigs in Taiwan destined for human consumption.