Letter: Please stop poaching parrots
The statement in an article about parrot poaching from July 19 that none of the wild parrots in South Florida are endangered is incorrect.
The red crowned parrots also called green cheeked or Mexican red heads, are endangered. These parrots are trying to save themselves from extinction by adapting to urban Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Please consider the following:
1.Wild parrots deserve our protection. The film Parrot Planet, states “Every city parrot might be a valuable genetic reservoir to help restock wild populations.”
2.We must generate awareness of the parrots protected status. It is not just Coral Gables that has bird sanctuary laws that make it illegal to poach parrots. Every municipality in South Florida from Pembroke Pines to Homestead also makes poaching illegal.
3.We must collaborate with law enforcement to prosecute known parrot poachers and confiscate illegally captured parrots as South American countries do.
4. We must develop appreciation for our wild parrots among the community. Parrots are eco-friendly and beloved by our Audubon because they do not compete with any native birds. There are studies proving that parrots contribute and do not harm our environment.
Parrots that do not have steel rings on their legs are illegally captured and made to be pets when they should be wild and free. Imagine my horror fear and sadness when I saw one of the flock of wild blue and yellow macaws that I have been feeding for 15 years in a cage in a flea market.
I know it is my wild macaw because I confirmed the macaw’s facial line feathers with photographs of my wild flock taken by the biologist Devin Belliston. Facial lines are like fingerprints unique to each bird.
Imagine the terror of this wild macaw, doomed to a life locked in a cage.
Please stop poaching.
Daria Feinstein, Coral Gables
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This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Letter: Please stop poaching parrots."