Breaking News: Connecticut Wild Parrots Face New and Deadly Threat

A wild Quaker Parrot in Connecticut takes up a defensive position in preparation for further human assaults on his colony.

Two and a half years after activists successfully halted United Illuminating's deadly campaign against the wild parrots of Connecticut, a Connecticut Superior Court judge has allowed UI to resume its parrot-killing policy. While there is no immediate indication that United Illuminating will resort to such deadly measures in the next few weeks, it now has a legal free hand and it appears that nothing short of an act of the Connecticut legislature can spare the parrots from further harm.

This legal defeat is a serious blow to Wild Parrot Conservationists and other groups concerned with the welfare of wild animals. From what I have learned, it appears that the legal strategy pursued by Friends of Animals was deeply flawed. The groups has stated that it intends to appeal the decision but the damage is deep, and the parrots will find themselves in serious danger in the weeks and months ahead.

Connecticut Parrots Face Tough Week Ahead

The wild parrot flocks living in Connecticut face a mass nest tear-down this week. According to an article in the New Haven Register, the United Illuminating Company will tear down 89 nests beginning this Tuesday.

Thanks to pressure from pro-parrot groups, United Illuminating will reportedly not harm the birds, but UI's actions must be monitored closely, because it has an extremely poor record when it comes to treating wild parrots humanely. In 2005, the company, in concert with the U.S.D.A. and several private Florida-based energy consultants, killed several hundred wild parrots in an action which its spokesman, Al Carbone, infamously characterized as a "final solution" to the wild parrot issue. Only after mass protests in Connecticut and a lawsuit from a local animal rights group were the so-called "Thanksgiving Killings" halted.

I am pleased that UI has apparently changed its stance from lethal to non-lethal wild parrot control methods. This is a step in the right direction. No one questions the need for utility companies to maintain their infrastructure: all that we ask is that UI employ the same best practices already employed by responsible utility companies such as Con Edison (in New York) and PSE&G (in New Jersey). These practices include timing nest removals for September (when the young have fledged) or March (between the onset of warm weather and parrot mating season). The fact that these removals are happening now, in late October, instead of September, suggests that UI still has some work to do before it is in compliance with these best practices. Fortunately, unusually warm weather patterns in the Northeast means that most of the evicted parrots will probably survive.

There is much more that can be done to accommodate the divergent needs of parrot and mankind. Extra insulation can be applied to electrical lines near poles in which the parrots nest. Orange reflective tags can be attached to deter the parrots from re-nesting in sensitive infrastructure (this approach has worked both in New York and New Jersey). Alternative nest platforms can be deployed to provide safe housing for the parrots: this approach has been successful in Connecticut and in Texas.

My hope is that UI will explore these methods, because they provide a win-win situation for its stakeholders and the wild animals which inhabit its operating areas. Let's hope that its change of stance in this teardown is a sign that UI is taking all of these concerns more seriously than it has in the past.

Struggle To Save Connecticut Wild Parrots Continues

The monk parrot is often called "the world's most persecuted parrot," and a lot of good people on the East Coast are trying to end the persecution, including Donna Dwyer, who has done much to stop their slaughter by energy companies in Connecticut. I received this note from Donna today; it is disappointing news but just means that those who want to see a free-range parrot flying again in North American skies must work harder in the future. It also shows that the Alternative Nest Platforms built to lure the parrots from the utility poles are working:

UPDATE June 2006:

File No. 404, (Substitute House Bill No. 5804) did not make it to be called for a vote before the deadline closing of this past legislative session. Our efforts must begin again in the next legislative session. We will again be seeking passage of this legislation. We will need your support just as much and probably more in the future.

In the meantime there are ways you can help. If you have quaker nests near your property and are willing to provide possible alternative shelter for these birds on your property, helping to keep them off the poles and out of the hands of the utility company that seeks to destroy them, PLEASE contact Donna at donna@ctquakers.com and let us know. We have several structures ready for use.

If you have nearby or aware of quaker nest locations please contact Donna with the information. UI has been removing some more nests. We want to stay on top of what is going on in this regard. Your help is crucial. PLEASE help keep these beautiful parrots flying free here in CT. Remember the country's only native parrot, The Carolina Parakeet, was once hunted and killed to the point of extinction.

If you are able to assist with construction and/or erection of alternative bird platforms please contact us. Help of any kind is much appreciated. Maybe you can physically help build or erect, maybe you have materials to donate, maybe a truck to transport or deliver, maybe you have ideas to contribute, whatever you have to offer is important to the effort please do not hesitate to contact with whatever assistance you can. No contribution is too small, it is only through the efforts of many concerned individuals that our goal to protect the quakers will be realized.

In closing, on a positive note, there are quakers in residence in the very first platform we put up on Christmas eve (in Lordship, CT). As well as the one on Ocean Ave, in West Haven, CT. See attached photo of the Lordship Platform.

Also, NJ Audubon has agreed to SUPPORT Senate Bill 1768. This will help in the goal of getting the quakers, in the neighboring state of NJ, off the dangerous species list there. Our thanks goes out to everyone supporting NJ's quakers also.

Donna
www.ctquakers.com

Bill to Protect Wild Parrots Advances in Connecticut

The feral parrots of Brooklyn rejoiced when they read an article in The Connecticut Post reporting that on March 21st, the CT State Legislature's Environment Committee approved, by unanimous vote, a bill protecting southwestern Connecticut's monk parakeet population from eradication.

This is terrific news: just a few months ago, United Illuminating's deadly and misguided wild parrot eradication campaign made headlines around the world. With a little luck, some skillful politicking, and a lot of hard work, Connecticut's wild parrots may be spared this kind of cruelty in the future.

Wild Connecticut Parrots Take Up Defensive Positions in "Monk Bunkers"

A wild monk parrot in Connecticut peers out of his "monk bunker," scanning the distant horizon for any sign of United Illuminating's work crews. Photo credit: Marc Johnson

For the moment, United Illuminating has abandoned its parrot-eradication campaign in Connecticut, after being confronted by public protests and a lawsuit filed by local activists.

But Connecticut's wild parrots aren't taking any chances, and several groups of birds have already taken up defensive positions in artificial nesting platforms, otherwise known as "Monk Bunkers," designed by FosterParrots.com's Marc Johnson and constructed by local Connecticut citizens.


A view of "Monk Bunker Alley" in West Haven. Photo credit: Marc Johnson

The first "Monk Bunker" to actually attract displaced parrots was, appropriately enough, sited on Julie Cook's property. Julie heroically stood up to the killing crews last November, was hauled off in handcuffs, and was only released after a video tape of her arrest proved that she was never read her Miranda rights.


A Quaker construction crew at work on the upper part of a "Monk Bunker." Photo credit: Marc Johnson

The success of Johnson's "Monk Bunkers" in attracting displaced parrots from power lines promises to greatly enhance the prospects of free-range monk parrots in the U.S.A. It also belies the claim made by power companies such as Florida Power and Light and United Illuminating that lethal parrot control methods are justified because there is no way to humanely convince the birds to abandon their positions in electrical infrastructure.


A Connectitut Monk brings in a fresh twig to refortify the lookout position of a "Monk Bunker" in West Haven. Photo credit: Marc Johnson

Monk Bunkers will be marketed to the public via a soon-to-be launched Web site, monkbunkers.com, and via a national radio ad campaign. A new 30-second radio spot for the Monk Bunkers is now online.

Yankee Ingenuity Trumps Cruelty in Connecticut

Two surviving and formerly homeless Quaker parrots displaced by United Illuminating's wild parrot eradication campaign found safe haven in Julie Cook's artificial nest on January 18th, 2005. Photo by Joanne Smith.

During the darkest moments of the Connecticut Quaker Parrot Crisis of 2005, Julie Cook's example gave pro wild parrot activists strength. When United Illuminating came for the parrots she knew and loved in West Haven, she refused to step aside. Instead, she actively blocked the "death squad", and was promptly handcuffed, fingerprinted, and locked up for the night. Only after it was discovered that she had not been read her Miranda rights was Julie freed.

Two months later, a lot has happened in Connecticut. United Illuminating, pressed by a lawsuit, has temporarily stopped killing the parrots. Citizens are building artificial nesting platforms designed by Marc Johnson (see photos below). And yesterday: wonder of wonders, a pair of the displaced parrots decided to take up residence right in the artificial nest that Julie built in her yard: the first birds to do so in West Haven.

This development isn't just a beautifully poetic event for Julie and the birds she likely saved from the gas chamber. The success of artificial nesting platforms in Connecticut is likely to inspire further development of artificial nesting platforms - not by expensive consulting firms, well-endowed universities, or profit-through-the-roof energy companies - but by private citizens who love the birds and want to help them.

Last Saturday, I attended one of these grass-roots parrot nest building workshops, held in Fairfield. I hope to use these photos to generate, with Marc Johnson's help, a "how to build a wild monk parrot nest" e-book that can be freely distributed on the Web. In the meantime, here are some photos of the process: more info and a materials list are available at friendsofanimals.org.


9-foot sections of chicken wire are folded over, stuffed with hay and laid with twigs. This encourages the monk parrots to investigate the structure and help themselves to building materials.


4-inch PVC pipe, bonded into a channel, supports the main nest subassembly. The "walls" that will eventually support an upper "roof" are screwed in from below using a screw gun.


A view of the completed nest subassembly.


Marc Johnson attaches chicken wire to the nearly completed nest subassembly. The chicken wire gives the wild Quaker Parrots a surface into which they can easily weave thorny twigs.


The nest subassembly is "rolled" across the 9-foot "chicken wire stuffed with twigs and-hay" assembly. Excess is clipped using wire cutters.


Twigs are used to create nest entrances characteristic of those engineered by Quaker Parrots.


Excess chicken wire is stapled to the wooden underside of the main nest subassembly.


Seven nest assemblies were completed last Saturday in one 4-hour work session. They were shipped to West Haven for installation on private property, where, it is hoped, parrots will want to move into them.



A wild monk parrot in Connecticut guarding his human-engineered "monk bunker" against hostile forces from the USDA and United Illuminating. Photo credit: Marc Johnson


An early 2006 view of "Monk Bunker Alley" in West Haven, Connecticut. Photo credit: Marc Johnson

Pro-Parrot Lawsuit Filed Against Connecticut Utility Company

I received this message via e-mail today. It directly relates to the Connecticut Quaker Parakeet Crisis of 2005. Needless to say, I support this effort, and am also supporting efforts to get the parrots off the poles via alternate nest structures built on private property.

Media Advisory: Friends of Animals Sues United Illuminating Over Parakeet Gassing

For Immediate Release
12 January 2006
ContactPriscilla Feral, President: feral@friendsofanimals.org
Operation Parakeet Hotline: 203.656.1522
Lee Hall, Legal Director: leehall@friendsofanimals.org

Darien, CT -- Friends of Animals, a leading voice for responsible policies for animals, is immediately serving a Complaint against the United Illuminating Co. on behalf of Connecticut’s monk parakeets.

Refugees of the exotic pet trade, monk parakeets have lived freely in Connecticut, mostly in fir trees and oaks, for 30 to 40 years. Dwight G. Smith, who chairs the biology department at Southern Connecticut State University, said the birds -- actually small parrots -- provide nests for sparrows, finches, and owls, as well as themselves.

But the United Illuminating Co. (UI), an electric utility for southern Connecticut’s New Haven and Bridgeport areas, claims the green birds are a nuisance and a hazard.

With the blessing of the Connecticut Audubon Society and the National Audubon Society, UI has set about killing the birds in a campaign to remove their thatched-stick shelters from utility poles.

Friends of Animals seeks long-term policy change

United Illuminating’s parrot extermination campaign was short-circuited in December, after the company assured the Court it would stop netting the birds and turning them over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been asphyxiating them in carbon dioxide chambers.

“We came out of Court with news of a temporary halt in the roundups and gassings of parakeets,” said Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral.

“But we need responsible, long-term policies,” Feral explained. “The UI Co. dimmed the lights of holiday cheer in Connecticut. We’re demanding brighter ideas for the future, and, from state policy-makers, less flighty conduct.”

While UI has failed to implement prudent methods of dissuading these birds from nesting upon utility poles, people in the community have risen to the occasion. A platform construction workshop will be held this Saturday (14 Jan.) to show how to make a viable alternative that can keep parrots off poles, yet living and flying free.

Derek V. Oatis, a Manchester lawyer representing Friends of Animals, said, “We’re asking for a judgment declaring that the law requires UI to implement routine maintenance and prevent nesting, and a permanent injunction against the capturing and killing of the monk parakeets.”

Added Priscilla Feral, “Maintaining the public trust requires a redirection of resources from the tormenting of the birds to an enlightened response, one that rejects killing or experimenting on the birds or holding them captive.”

Controversy over the extermination has reached newspapers nationwide, and as far as London, England. And a growing concern for the birds has come from Connecticut legislators, including U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Christopher Shays, and state Rep. Richard Roy.

A Wild Parrot's Best Friend Comes to New York

Wild Monk Parrots in the Bronx, Christmas Eve, 2005

Marc Johnson, who heroically responded to the Connecticut Monk Parrot Crisis of 2005 by documenting the crimes, working with local property owners to construct nest platforms, and teaching local citizens how to help avian refugees made homeless by the destruction, will be speaking at the New York Bird Club this Thursday, January 5th. This free event is at the New York Theosophical Society, 242 E. 53rd St, New York, NY; time 6 to 9 PM.

It's a great way to celebrate National Bird Day!

Please Help Connecticut's Homeless Parrots

This December, pro-parrot citizens in Connecticut were able to get United Illuminating and the USDA to quit killing the wild parrots which live there. But UI continues to destroy their nests. These wild parrots' lives have been spared, but they're homeless and very cold: please, if you have a few dollars, donate to the alternate nest building program being run by Marc Johnson and hosted at friendsofanimals.org.

BREAKING NEWS: Connecticut Parakeet Killings Halted

I have just received word from Laurel Lundstrom, of friendsofanimals.org, that United Illuminating has agreed to stop -- at least temporarily -- killing wild parrots in Connecticut. Thanks to everyone who squawked so loudly that a powerful energy company had to back down! More on this story as it evolves - you can post comments at friendsofanimals.org.

Maybe there IS a Santa Claus!

Photo-Essay: The Parrots of December

It's cold in the Northeast, but the wild parrots of New York City, which reside happily in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, are adapting to the change in the weather. Winter is a trial for all of us, but these birds are resourceful, and will likely make it through this winter without too much trouble. I wish the same could be said for their brethren in Connecticut, but that's another story.

I took these pictures on December 2, 2005 to show you a few scenes from a day in the life of a wild Brooklyn Parrot. Enjoy - please click on any thumbnail to see a larger image.


With temperatures in the 30's, you'd expect these little parrots to be staying snuggled up inside their well-insulated nests. But they're out and about, and they often perch while puffing up their feathers, like this little guy, who's serving as lookout for the parrots feeding below him.


Lookout duty isn't particularly glamorous, but it's an essential job that the oldest, most experienced birds perform, to make sure that the young ones don't get whacked by a predator. This elder bird is checking out the skies for hawks and falcons, both of which have been much in evidence recently at the Brooklyn College campus.


Brrr - that steel fence has got to be cold. But the wild parakeets of Brooklyn don't complain. After all, they're from the Southern Hemisphere, so they're used to winters. And it's a fairly balmy day in Brooklyn today: temperatures are just in the low 30's!



This shot looks like it was taken in May, not December. But the grass in Brooklyn stays green a long time, and this little one is enjoying feeding on it.


These parrots walk a lot, and because, like all parrots, they have two forward-facing and two rearward-facing toes, they tend to waddle, which gives them a comical, and slightly martial appearance when moving forward. At the risk of over-anthropomorphising them, their marching gait reminds me a bit of Alec Guinness' character in the film, Bridge on The River Kwai.


These parrots, like all social creatures, sometimes have disagreements which result in some fairly loud squawking. These two are confronting each other, but from their tone it appears that a peaceful resolution to their dispute may be reached short of any ruffled feathers.


We are hungry! A load of Petco finch seed will keep these feathered Brooklynites energized for a few cold days.


We have at least three invasive species in this picture. Each of them - pigeon, starling, and parrot - was brought to America by humans and they're surviving as best they can. Only the parrots, however, have been actively persecuted by death squads such as those operating in Connecticut and Florida. These little birds are lucky to be living in New York, which is a kinder-hearted state.


Fast reflexes are necessary for survival in any urban environment. Microseconds after any loud, percussive sound, these birds are airborne.



The monks love to eat the special clover that lives in the grassy areas around the ball field, but they're also suckers for bird seed. I buy the good stuff for them, because I often suspect that I will be reincarnated as a monk parakeet in my next life (I'm still not sure if this would be a promotion or not), and I hope that someone does the same for me.


Two plush-looking quaker parakeets perch on the steel fence, as a sparrow zooms by behind them.


When I think of "Brooklyn Parrots," I think of this shot, which shows two happy pairs of monk parakeets and two loners perched on a fire escape in very cold weather. Despite the exigencies, love and life are triumphant in the most romantic of the city's boroughs.


Are these two couples hanging out on a Brooklyn fire escape arguing or joking with each other? Without knowing how to speak "Monk," it's impossible to tell, but I'd like to think that, like The Honeymooners' Ralph, Alice, Ed, and Trixie, they're sharing a joke.

Vigil for the Connecticut Parakeets: Friday, West Haven, CT: 7PM

I received this message today from Laurel Lundstrom, the Program Coordinator for FriendsofAnimals.org, who's been central to the effort to stop the cruel killings of wild parakeets in Connecticut:

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Vigil for the Parakeets - Tomorrow, West Haven -- 7 p.m. -- please RSVP

Why? Despite public outcry, United Illuminating continues to facilitate the gassing and killing of Connecticut's monk parakeets.

Where? We will meet in Chick's parking lot on East Street in West Haven and walk/drive over to First Avenue and the other neighborhoods where the birds have been killed.

When? Friday December 2, 7 p.m.

What? Bring Candles, signs and petitions

Also, if you haven't already done so, please sign our online petition!

---

In related news, BrooklynParrots.com learned today that at least one person was arrested for civil disobedience last night as the crews of Unitied Illuminating and the USDA worked after dark in Connecticut. We have access to video footage of this incident, which we will post online as soon as possible. More on this as this story moves.

Meeting Fails: UI Seeks "Final Solution" for Wild Parakeet Population in Connecticut

Despite a two-hour meeting between Connecticut State officials with United Illuminating, today the Connecticut utility company refused pleas from public officials to stop the mass killings of wild monk parakeets. This meeting was closed to the public at large and to pro-wildlife groups seeking to use established, non-lethal means to control the wild parakeets.

Already about 10 percent of Connecticut's wild parakeets have been killed by poison gas in what United Illuminating spokesman Al Carbone admits is a "final solution" to the problem of wild parrots living free in the State.

Connecticut state legislaters claim that without an executive order from Connecticut governor M. Jodi Rell ordering a cessation of the gassings, they can do nothing.

Please sign our online petition, which now has 1413 signatures.

Also, please contact the Connecticut Governer and urge her to intervene before the immoral killings of these intelligent creatures go any further:

Governor M. Jodi Rell
Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us

Executive Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Telephone:
Greater Hartford Area: 860-566-4840
Toll Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397

Also, please free to click on the "Connecticut Cruelty" license plate image I created to view and print out a full-size version.

Connecticut Wild Parrot Crisis: A Ray of Hope?

I received this e-mail from Donna Dwyer today. Donna has been tirelessly working to stop the mass killing of wild quaker parakeets in Connecticut. Again, folks: please, if you correspond with any of the folks in this message, please be civil and level-headed. Here is Donna's message:

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There will be a meeting on Tuesday, Nov.29th involving a Connecticut legislator, DEP, United Illuminating and Audubon.

We must get out the word to these legislators in huge numbers that we want the KILLING to Stop! PLEASE Everyone CALL, the offices of your and other legislators in CT and tell them to STOP KILLING the QUAKERS!!!! We must let them know that the public is appalled. The meeting is Tuesday -- it has to be done ASAP. UI doesn't care it is a monopoly but legislators are ELECTED Let's bombard them with the demand that they stop this cruelty.

State Representative Richard Roy of Milford (860-240-8585, 800-842-8267) is working to try to help with the situation and will be at the meeting on Tuesday. Richard.Roy@cga.ct.gov

State Representative and Speaker of the House James Amann, also of Milford, will be at the meeting and helping from, what I understand (860-240-8500, 800-842-1902; Jim.Amann@cga.ct.gov

State Representative Paul Davis: he serves Milford, Orange, and West Haven. I do not know anything about his position on the issue (860-240-8585, 800-842-8267); Paul.Davis@cga.ct.gov

You can find your town Representative and State Senator here:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/maps/Townlist.asp

You Can Help Stop The Killing of Wild Parrots in Connecticut

PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US!

Update 11/23/05: Monk Parakeets Plead for Homes, Lives (editorial in Connecticut Post)

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If you care about free-range parrots in the USA, and the idea that they're now being killed en masse in Connecticut makes you heartsick, you can do something about it. Already, the media is starting to respond. This is only happening because people like you care and are willing to take action.

The first thing to do is sign our online petition. It only takes a minute to fill out. Now, take a look at the list of people below. Then, pick up the phone. Take a deep breath. Be friendly, be civil, be peaceful, be polite, but be firm. Tell these people you don't want wild parrots killed in Connecticut.

Please don't make threats or be crazy: yes, this is an emotional issue but it doesn't serve our cause to behave like nutburgers. These people aren't bad -- they're just misguided. So let them know that you don't like what they're doing, you're going to communicate your concern to anyone who will listen, including the press, elected leaders, humane groups, and religious organizations. Suggest to them the obvious: that there are humane alternatives that they haven't looked at. Call them now.

Al Carbone is the guy who's the PR rep for United Illuminating, the company that started this whole mad monk parakeet eradication campaign. You can reach Al at (203) 671-4421. Also, please call Al's boss, Nathaniel Woodson, Nat's at (203) 926-4637; his email is: nathaniel.woodson@uinet.com

Corey Slavitt is the gal at USDA who claims, for reasons that I can't fathom, that these killings are somehow "humane." USDA, not UI, is the entity actually gassing the parrots. You can reach Corey at (301) 734-8563. Also let Monty Chandler, of the USDA, know how you feel. Monty's at (413) 253-2403. His e-mail is Monte.D.Chandler@usda.gov; fax # is (413) 253-7577. You can also send feedback to the central office of the USDA using this form. Tell them that they should get out of the parrot-killing business, and focus on keeping our food supply safe.

Dennis Schain is the guy in the Connecticut DEPA who calls the monk parakeets "invasive," which means, I guess, that it's OK to kill them. You can reach Dennis at (860) 424-4117. Also, call the EPA's Dale May. Dale's at (860) 424-3011; Dale's email is: dale.may@po.state.ct.us; fax # is (860) 424-4078.

Now, onto the Connecticut Audubon Society. Milan Bull is it's head. Milan's not a bad guy: in fact, he's against the killings, likes the wild parrots, and doesn't think they deserve this cruelty. But I think he made a big mistake when he allowed the CT Audubon Society to in any way endorse this massacre. You can reach Milan at (203) 259-6305, ext 113 or via e-mail at: mbull@ctaudubon.org. The fax number is (203) 254-7673.

Remember, folks: be civil. You have truth, justice, and kindness on your side. Please make your point without being nasty -- it doesn't help.

For those of you in Connecticut, e-mail your legislator. Use this page to find your local rep. Tell them you're appalled by this cruelty, and that you're going to remember what they do come election time. Again, be civil.

Finally, call M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut's Governer, at (800) 406-1527. Her email is Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us. Let her know that you object to government-sanctioned killings of wild parrots. Remind her that you love animals, you vote, and you're not alone!

For those with fax machines, here are the numbers for Connecticut's Senators and Congressional Reps in Washington:

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D) Fax: 202-224-1083
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) Fax: 202-224-9750
Rep. John Larson (D-1) Fax: 202-225-1031
Rep. Rob Simmons (R-2) Fax: 202-225-4977
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3) Fax: 202-225-4890
Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4) Fax: 202-225-9629
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-5) Fax: 202-225-4488

There's more you can do. Please circulate (forward) this item to your email friends. Instruct them to call their media, animal cruelty societies, bird groups, animal rights organizations, religious groups, animal and bird blogs, basically anyone who might care about this cruelty.

There's even more you can do. Sad to say, but without a celebrity, it's difficult really can't wake up the mainstream media in the U.S.A. Our cause could really benefit from having an A-level celebrity "Say No to Parrot Cruelty." Fortunately, there are some candidates: Ellen Degeneres is a known animal fan, so send her some e-mail. She's got a form on her Web site here: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/funstuff/onyourmind/.
Hillary Swank owns parrots, but unfortunately, there's no easy way to reach her. Doris Day runs the Doris Day Foundation, which is concerned with animal rights; you can email the Foundation at info@ddaf.org

Thanks VERY much for taking action today. Remember, the people who are killing America's wild parrots do so in the middle of the night, and do not want public exposure of their deeds. Publicity -- the sunshine of truth -- is the only thing that they fear, and it's our only hope of guiding them toward behaving humanely.

Rally to Save the CT Quakers

(I received this tonight. It is a grassroots effort to thwart the massacre of wild parrots being conducted this week in the State of Connecticut. Please attend if you can.)

Friends of Animals is having a rally tonight to try to save the quakers. PLEASE try to come. It is starting at 8pm in West Haven at the Adams & People’s Bank parking lot at the corner of Campbell Avenue & Captain Thomas Blvd. The media has been notified. I know it is far to go, but this is really important.

Directions from Hartford:

I-91 S toward NEW HAVEN / N.Y. CITY.
Merge onto GOVERNOR JOHN DAVIS LODGE TURNPIKE / I-95 S via the exit on the LEFT.
Take EXIT 44 toward DOWNTOWN WEST HAVEN.
Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto KIMBERLY AVE / CT-122. Continue to follow CT-122.
Stay STRAIGHT to go onto ELM ST.
Turn LEFT onto WAGNER PL / CT-162.
Stay STRAIGHT to go onto KELSEY AVE.
Turn LEFT onto CAPTAIN THOMAS BLVD.

Endangered CT Parakeets Need Lawyers!

I received this message tonight from Brenda Piper, a Quaker parrot activist. It is perhaps a ray of hope in
a horribly cruel situation in Connecticut:

The Connecticut Association For Aviculture is mobilizing as we speak. I am a firm believer that most government officials, elected or appointed, as well as business people will only listen to residents of their state. This is why it is very very important that any and all CT residents turn out in force via phone and email to stop the carnage. If anyone on this list is a lawyer or knows a lawyer practicing in CT that would be willing to help us get an injunction to halt the utility, please have them contact me immediately at pipersparrots@comcast.net.

Thank you.
Brenda Piper
President
Connecticut Association For Aviculture

Wild Parrot Nest Tests

A wild Quaker Parrot peers out of a nest built on an artificial platform in Boston.

The push to deploy artificial nest platforms for wild Quaker Parrots received new impetus over the weekend when an anonymous NJ resident agreed to house such platforms on his property. This development is important because utility companies such as Con Ed and PSE&G have long sought ways to lure the wild parrots away from their utility poles but neither they nor any research institutes have deployed any funds for such development or testing.


Plans for Marc Johnson's artificial nesting platforms.

Private volunteers, who work without pay or other support from officialdom, are filling this research and development gap. The platforms are cheap to make, and the only real cost is labor. The work is dangerous, and none of us have health insurance, so if we break our limbs while doing such work, our only recourse is "home surgery using hand tools." Still, we are willing to take the risk because we want to do our part for "the world's most persecuted parrot."

It is too early to say whether the planned installation will prove successful. The platforms have worked in the Boston area, but we may find it necessary to deploy several designs and fine-tune them to attract the parrots. This is an ongoing experiment and our findings will be published, in order that other pro-parrot groups can use them.