WHY are sugar gliders protected species but cockatoos are not?

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I agree with you to some extent, but not all cockatoos [or other large parrot species] are spending their entire lives "chained to a post". Some actually have loving and caring owners who provide fully for them.

The problem is that many pet stores can and will sell these birds to just about anyone, without telling them about any of the negative things about these birds, how much attention they need, that they are quite loud and destructive.. This is when the bird is truly "chained to a post" and depressed. This is when the bird starts plucking out all of its feathers out of depression and boredom, this is when the bird is placed through many homes that don't know how to take care of him or her. To see what happens a lot to birds who are bought by owners who can't take care of them, go to www.mytoos.com

I'm a bird owner, and if I had the option of letting my birds live their natural way then I would have never have gotten them.. But any person with common sense will tell you that "Hey, these already domesticated birds won't even survive out there. The damage is done."

Birds/parrots make AMAZING family members if they're properly cared for.

tentofield

All Australian wildlife is completely protected. You cannot catch or kill any native animal without the authority to do so. Cockatoos and other parrots were popular aviary birds before universal protection came in and consequently there were many in captivity. All aviary birds these days must be bred in captivity from captive-bred birds. You cannot take birds out of the wild.

The fad for sugar gliders as pets is a recent one in the USA. It came in well after complete protection here so all sugar gliders in Australia are protected and none may be kept as pets. There are no captive-bred sugar gliders from which pets can be bred. The sugar gliders and many of the cockatoos in the USA have their origins Indonesia and New Guinea - particularly the Indonesian half of the island. Indonesia does not have such strict animal protection laws and doesn't really enforce those it has.

It is illegal to export any wildlife from Australia without permission and it is also illegal to import it. There are no pet sugar gliders in Australia and there never will be.

*~* Princess *~*

No animals should be legally caged or tehtered, I don't agree with birds being taken out of their natura habit and caged in.

I have an eclectus parrot, and animals like mine are hand reared through several generations. Eclectus are quite rare, but thrive on human company.

I think companion animals like domestic parrots are fine, but there should be more laws about the conditions they are kept it.

Any animal which isn't given proper care and habitiat is animal cruelty.

I am actually writing this message with my parrot on my hand. Although he goes to sleep in a cage, he spends all his time either on me or in his parrot play gym.

I think people that sell parrots should make sure tht they go to a home that knows how to care for them, and give them the proper living conditions.

Parrots are such intelligent creatures and live for so many years, I think it's so sad when they are neglected.

thing55000

I'm sorry and without wishing to offend anyone, but i HATE birds in cages. Yes, I know they are already in cages when you buy them, but if people stopped buying them, they'd soon stop trapping and raising them. (I know not all birds are caged, I mean just the always caged ones.)

Whew, having got THAT little bit of anti-socialness of my chest, I wonder if the answer might be 'tradition'?

People having a cockie in a cage in the backyard has been going strong and LOTS of people do, so stopping it would be hard, maybe impossible, as anyone can trap and cage a bird.

Sugar gliders, otoh, haven't ever been widespread pets, so maybe it was a practice that could be outlawed and so stopped fairly easily?

Cheers :-)

josie d

i totally understand how you feel .but the number if sugar gliders is more than likely very low so they have to keep the protected or the species would die out all together where as with parrots and cockatoos are plentiful.. i my self have a cocktail.. his name is scooter and he is very smart. i have hand raised him from a baby and he is so sweet.... my pets keep me sane. if i didn't have them to talk to and hang out with i would go nuts as they like our other species (men and kids) talk back and argue.... my bird doesn't he just whistles and listens to me.... if i talk to my cat he responds with a meow most every time... he doesn't give anyone else the time of day lolol... and he sits in my lap.... no one Else's...unless they pick him up and make him...lol :)) i see it as if you take good care of your pet weather it be a bird or cat or dog then by all means have them as pets. but if you are mean to them then you don't deserve their love and friendship and company...
cheers
Jo

Goonhilda

Cockatoos, particularly white cockatoos, are not protected because they are a rampant pest. They destroy crops and damage structures, because of their high intelligence. They get bored, and wreck things to keep themselves amused. One is okay, but they usually start with one or two, and the next day there is 2000.

They soon learn that scare guns (harmless noise makers) are no threat, and will happily perch on the machine, even during operation. They are not afraid of other methods of discouragement, so they are almost impossible to get rid of once they figure out your property is a food source.

They cause astronomical amounts of damage to crops. My father ran a farm, and cockatoos used to cost him thousands of dollars in lost revenue. They eat grain while it's growing, destroy fruit before it can be harvested, and knock down oats before they can be cut for chaff. They are a terrible nuisance. On a small farm, they can easily put you out of business.

Cockatoos make good pets. It is easier to feed a cockatoo. They eat a wide variety of foods, which makes them good pets, because you don't have to prepare anything special. Sugar gliders, on the other hand, would have more specific dietary needs.

Most cockatoos kept as pets are kept in quite reasonable conditions. Most people I know who keep them let them have the run of the house, and feed them a good diet, and play with them regularly. These animals pair bond with owners and have 'social lives' with humans. Most of the cockatoos kept as pets I believe would be raised in captivity, to facilitate their handling. You can't catch a cocky and 'tame' him. He'll always be scared, never learn to talk, and always treat the humans who own him as a threat. Wild cockatoos can't be pets.

Singularity of Good Fortune

I agree that parrots should not be caged. As you say, they are long lived. They also have strong social interactions, make lifelong friends in the wild and are very intelligent. The exceptions are when they have been maimed and caging would mean they can live.

Sugar gliders? They are good in pies but it's often difficult to catch enough of them for more than a snack.

tri1104

Well, good question. I own a cockatoo (please, don't judge), but I see your point. It IS sad how many birds in captivity are treated. I often tell my bird that if I wasn't so greedy for his love and companionship, and if I knew he could survive, I'd want to set him free. Many types of Cockatoos are on the endangered species list. Also, I recently read that the largest "Black Market" is birds... really sad.

And just a side note (NOT to the person who asked the question) - someone's answer was something like "have you seen a group of cockatoos... they are really annoying..." - well - look at PEOPLE... have you been to a city and seen a group of us? Aren't we very annoying, not to mention the devestation we've inflicted on the world? Yet, I bet you (the person with that comment) wouldn't feel it right if some other species rounded all of us up and teathered us because "we are annoying"... think outside the box... use some empathy!

Aussie_Gal

Most of the ones that are caged or tethered are hand reared and bred by breeders. i guess a bit like your dog and cats, horses, cows etc etc.
I know you do need a license to have certain breeds of exotic birds and most of these people that own them do take good care of them etc etc.
I agree it is cruel to have a cockatoo tethered, and I guess pet store owners have to do this by law(safety reasons).

I also think that they are tethered as so they dont fly away, because this would be cruel also, if left to fly around, as they wouldnt know how to defend for themselves and would starve to death in the wild. Most bird owners who have free roaming birds have one clipped wing so they cant take off and fly.
A protected species is where one is close to becoming endangered or extinct. Meaning where there is not many around to keep that species going.
A cockatoo does not come into any of those catergories and are actually a menace to the environment. Ruining native vegetation as there are thousands around and congregate in a large flock. Dont get me wrong I love those birds and they make the best pet. But in the wild cause havock where ever they go. And because they live for 60yrs approx ( & thats in captivity, much shorter in the wild) , I can say not 100yrs, they tend to out last a lot of other native animals in the wild. Thats why there is so many.

gaia

is there?
i didn't know there was a legal parrot trade.

their cages are certainly too small.
usually they can't even spread their wings.
what happens to the bird when it's owner dies?
they become extremely attached to people.
in the wild they normally mate for life so it is cruel
to cage them but it's a tradition country people
grew up with that will slowly die as people change
and modernise their thinking.
there are lots of cockatoos.
farmers consider them a pest.

Ted T

We shouldn't need laws to protect these birds from such a life. Common humanity should tell us it is wrong.
Human behaviour can soar to the heights but it can also sink to the lowest depths.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Keeping beautiful birds as pets is as great a crime as keeping beautiful women, enslaved by virtue and curse of the near painful beauty of their form.

armandnut6

no not 100 years thats too long for any bird and they tamed macaws and budgies and they look healthy and the breed quickly

jennifer h

It does seem awful alright but I guess the ones that are pets are born into being caged and know no other and I presume the gliders are protected if they are likely to dwindle in numbers

missopinions

I agree, poor things

tori b

Because cockatoos are annoying!!! Have you ever seen a whole group of them together? They are so loud.....

Catherine

Because there are alot of cokatoos.. IN a group there are annoying!

I used to wake up to them every day.. so i got someone to chop the tree down outside my house.. now i get a good sleep

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