Petition To Prime Minister

[BirdLaw]

I have lodged a petition with Downing Street in the hopes of creating a law to ban the sale of birds, being kept as pets in the UK. I wonder if you would be interested to sign the petition, so that we can obtain as many signatures as possible.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law to ban the sale of birds in the UK.

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law
to ban the sale of birds in the UK

Keeping birds as pets is un-regulated and results in birds
being kept in cages too small to fly for the majority of their
lives. It also contributes to the import of illegal bird
types. Keeping birds is unnecessary and cruel and we would
like to see a law which bans the sale of birds within the UK

I have always thought the practice of keeping birds indoors in cages to be thoroughly cruel and I hope that this law could be passed, or at least that it may raise awareness of this issue in the public eye.

I would very much welcome your support.

[Kayleigh]

I don't agree..If people want to keep caged birds they should be aloud to.. You will want to ban fishing next. Think of all the pigeon fanciers or falconers to name but a few. I don't like to think of birds being in cages that are too small but I don't think it should be banned. If they banned keeping birds how would we conserve them, a lot of birds are bred in captivity like the barn owl then re released to populate the area where there is a decline... No! not to ban..

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

I don't agree..If people want to keep caged birds they should be aloud to.. You will want to ban fishing next. Think of all the pigeon fanciers or falconers to name but a few. I don't like to think of birds being in cages that are too small but I don't think it should be banned. If they banned keeping birds how would we conserve them, a lot of birds are bred in captivity like the barn owl then re released to populate the area where there is a decline... No! not to ban..

I agree with you, Kayleigh. If people want birds they will aquire them and far better they get UK-bred birds that have been raised in clean, safe environments by experts than be stolen from the wild, often smuggled into the country in the most cruel conditions to be sold on the black market.

My local garden centre sells birds, which I was a bit unhappy about at first, but from asking lots of questions I found out that they can give you full details of the breeder, as well as the conditions the animal was raised in.

Certainly I would be happy to go on a course to certify that I was competant to keep a pet - and I mean any pet - before I was allowed to buy it, but to ban the keeping of certain animals outright will often result in them suffering more due to illegal trading.

[ollyk]

The problem isn't keeping the birds (or any 'exotic' pet for that matter) so much as lack of correct knowledge passed on by many who sell such animals.
I know this from previously owning a 'rescued' Green Iguana. Few pet shops, and even more worryingly fewer vets new the correct husbandry techniques involved with such animals and hence a great deal of animals have suffered in the past.
You know I found only two vetenary practices near to me (well within 25 miles at least!) who I considered knowledgeable enough to treat the Iggs,, and when you consider the vast numbers of these animals sold I guess I could be forgiven for thinking it would be a good idea to outlaw such animals as pets. I don't though.
TBH I think to outlaw caged birds is ludicrous like someone has already pointed out it would be fishing and dogs next (actually I could live with that ).
This government don't need encorougment with any more ill though out authoritarian idea's in my opinion!

I would also recomend you give the petitions website a wide birth too, it's more Labour spin and only serves to make us all feel like the government listens to public opinion, but you see it is not the job of the government to listen to it's people anyway, after all we apoint the PM to make the 'best' decisions on our behalf, thats how it has always worked and how it always will work.

[JoanB]

Does that include racing pigeons? I don't do this myself but know people who race pigeons and spend a lot of time looking after them. Shouldn't you, perhaps, be asking for a law on how the birds are kept?
JB
PS: wouldn't this be a problem for hen and turkey farmers? Wouldn't mind if they lost out, perhaps....

Originally Posted by BirdLaw

I have lodged a petition with Downing Street in the hopes of creating a law to ban the sale of birds, being kept as pets in the UK. I wonder if you would be interested to sign the petition, so that we can obtain as many signatures as possible.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law to ban the sale of birds in the UK.

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law
to ban the sale of birds in the UK

Keeping birds as pets is un-regulated and results in birds
being kept in cages too small to fly for the majority of their
lives. It also contributes to the import of illegal bird
types. Keeping birds is unnecessary and cruel and we would
like to see a law which bans the sale of birds within the UK

I have always thought the practice of keeping birds indoors in cages to be thoroughly cruel and I hope that this law could be passed, or at least that it may raise awareness of this issue in the public eye.

I would very much welcome your support.

[Kymba]

Originally Posted by BirdLaw

I have lodged a petition with Downing Street in the hopes of creating a law to ban the sale of birds, being kept as pets in the UK. I wonder if you would be interested to sign the petition, so that we can obtain as many signatures as possible.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law to ban the sale of birds in the UK.

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a law
to ban the sale of birds in the UK

Keeping birds as pets is un-regulated and results in birds
being kept in cages too small to fly for the majority of their
lives. It also contributes to the import of illegal bird
types. Keeping birds is unnecessary and cruel and we would
like to see a law which bans the sale of birds within the UK

I have always thought the practice of keeping birds indoors in cages to be thoroughly cruel and I hope that this law could be passed, or at least that it may raise awareness of this issue in the public eye.

I would very much welcome your support.

Sorry i can't agree with this.. My Mum is in her 70's lives on her own and is almost totally housebound after being hit by a car two years ago
She has feeders at her window for the wild birds which she loves to watch and this gives her immense Pleasure (which is a good thing). But she also has a pet canary which she adores , It has a Large cage, and she showers it with lots of love and Kindness.. Most of the time it is her only company..How can that be wrong???? There are lots of people like my mum around!
Should we also ban, Dogs (pack animals) Cats (let them go back to being ferrel), Rabbits ( should be running around Fields) Fish ( should be swimming in rivers and the sea)??

[brainfarmer]

i think this is a very interesting point and it covers all pets not just birds its just too easy for people to obtain pets from the common moggie to snakes with no knowledge of how to care for them.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I won't be signing the petition as i personally totally disagree with it. We used to keep finches and my grandfather used to be into racing pigeons. I don't like the "Keeping birds is unnecessary and cruel " quote as i believe it to be totally inaccurate. It's coming to the point that you won't be able to do anything without somebody wanting to ban it

[Adam Cheeseman]

There has recently been a ban imposed on the international trade of wild birds throughout the EU.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

There has recently been a ban imposed on the international trade of wild birds throughout the EU.

The more things are banned the more they are sort after.

I work with the elderly and we had one old lady who had a white budgie. she was very immobile so couldn't have any other pets she adored that bird. She would sit and talk to it all day when she was otherwise alone. Like someone else pointed out this will apply to the majority of elderly lonely people.

Education is the way forward not ban

[Boddie]

I might be wrong but I feel that most kids that have / had a pet have a far greater respect for animals in general. Take this away and kids with little or no exposure to animals have little understanding, and even some fear, which can manifest itself in a nasty way. Surely the idea is not to deprive people of pets but moreso to have them understand better the animals needs and instill a respect prior to taking on the responsibility?

[Beryl]

My love for birds grew from a very very young age due to my mther keeping buggies.,we also kept fish and yes I have to agree with Boddie that I also think children that grow up with pets have a great respect for animals as my children (Now grown up) love all animals as we also kept birds of alsort and other pets. Rabbts Guinneepigs and cats.
I won't be signing the petition

[Garden Carpet]

I wont be signing this petition. For one, I think it stupid and unthinking to ban caged birds when they give so many people harmless pleasure. We all know from various studies the benefits of keeping a pet.
Secondly, There are far to many rules and regulations and bans as it is. What happened to the statement that an Englishmans Home Is His Castle.... seems to me we will shortly have to have a certificate to prove we have been potty trained along with permission in triplicate (and a certificate of competence) to make a cuppa!
Thirdly, being just a bit cynical, has anyone wondered what the govt will do with the personal infomation available to them as a result of signing one of these online petitions.

Jaki

[demicav]

I don't think a ban would work BUT I personally find it cruel to keep birds in a cage.

[demicav]

Forgot to add on that I believe birds should be kept in large enough cages and like any pet should be looked after properly. I find it awful to go into a pet shop and see a dozen or more birds cramed into one cage.

[Lance Morgan]

You can't ban the keeping of domesticated birds. Keeping wild birds or taking them from the wild definately but it is already illegal.
Now cats and dogs that is different matter............................................ .....
Runs away

[matt_xyz]

I must admit I hate seeing caged birds. It's hard to think of another pet that has its natural behaviour restricted as much as a caged bird. Even fish can at least swim around their tank (as long as they're not too big for it) but if a bird can only hop from one perch to another....

I'm not sure a ban is the answer, but I would at least like to see a minimum size limit to bird cages. Impossible to enforce, I know. You would hope education would do the trick, but I see no sign of this happening.

Matt

[Duke of York]

I have to agree with Matt, seeing a bird in a cage where it is restricted to jumping from one perch to another rather than flying free, is something I do not like to see. But then I was a bit unhappy when I went to a falconry centre last summer and saw birds of prey tied to stakes

I do think if people want to keep birds as pets then there should be a min size of area they should be kept in or even better an they should be kept in an avery.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

There has recently been a ban imposed on the international trade of wild birds throughout the EU.

that had more to do with bird flu (as detected in imported parrots from HK last year) than wiith bird welfare or conservation issues.

that aside i wont be signing the pettion either as i agree with the majority view here that banning the sale/keeping of caged birds will just force it underground leading to less regulation and more cruel practice

the taking/import of wild birds is already banned, what is needed is more effective enforcement

[Kayleigh]

Wildlife hospitals wouldn't be able to treat wild birds if they were banned from putting them in a cage.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Wildlife hospitals wouldn't be able to treat wild birds if they were banned from putting them in a cage.

the wording of the current legislation expressly exempts temporary captivity for treatment from the laws forbidding the taking of birds from the wild. In theory there is more of a grey area where a bird cannot be released after treatment due to permanent disability but in practice this is dealt with pragmatically by the agencies charged with enforcing the law.

definitive information on wildbirds , capttivity and the law can be found here Captivity, sale and killing of birds - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

[BirdLaw]

Hello,
Thank you all for taking the time to read my post and posting a reply. I am not a politician but I do care for animals and wildlife. The petition I have lodged may not necessarily be worded correctly or be founded from an in-depth knowledge of the law in this area. What I was hoping and, seems to be the case from many of your reactions, was to gain recognition by the government that there are far too many grey areas in keeping birds, and other exotic animals for the matter. It is far too easy for anyone to simply visit a pet shop and buy a bird without knowing its origins or then how to care for it properly.
If my petition does nothing else but gets people thinking and talking about this topic then that's really all I would wish to gain.

Many thanks again for your time.

[smartie]

By the way, Birdlaw, welcome to the forum. You may not have got too much support for your current petition, but I hope you'll stay with us to contribute to the discussions.

[ollyk]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Thirdly, being just a bit cynical, has anyone wondered what the govt will do with the personal infomation available to them as a result of signing one of these online petitions.

Jaki

You are being cynical for all the right reasons tho I would be very reluctant before giving any unnescesary details to this database hungry government