Animal Legal Defense Fund

[Kentuckienne]

I ran across this today. Seems legit. For all those who have posted asking what they can do to help mistreated parrots...

When You Witness Animal Cruelty | Animal Legal Defense Fund

 

[Teddscau]

Unfortunately, in the majority of countries, states, provinces, districts, etc., legal action in cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment is very limited. I volunteer at my local Humane Society, and it's quite disheartening. The OSPCA officer and another member of the shelter's staff took part in a massive farm seizure. Dozens of farm animals were seized from horrible conditions, and hundreds of hours went into trying to help these animals. The judge ruled in favour of the abusers, and ordered the OSPCA to hand the animals back over to their abusers. The OSPCA had tons of evidence showing the animals were clearly abused, but all the abusers had to do was promise they would actually start feeding the animals on a regular basis, muck out their stalls more than once a year, and not cause the animals any "unnecessary" suffering.

Also, the OSPCA officer recently seized a cockatiel from terrible conditions. The house was full of dogs, cigarette smoke, wood smoke, and budgies. The cockatiel had plucked her neck and part of her head (I know it sounds like PBFD, but I think she's just been using her foot to pluck or has been rubbing the feathers off). Anyways, I was talking to the officer and she's really frustrated because she can't legally do anything to get them to hand over the rest of the bird's. Honestly, the laws we have suck. Seriously, I could repeatedly punch a puppy in front of a dozen witnesses, but as long as there wasn't any physical evidence (broken bones, cuts, bruises, video), the case would be thrown out.

There's countless cases of animals being mistreated, but nothing that can be legally done about it. Look at the wool industry. Bad, bad things are done to the sheep. Ever hear of ag-gag laws? In many states, it is ILLEGAL to document abuse against farm animals. How about the goose down industry? Look up "NIH baby monkey experiments." Also, we've been fighting for years against the use of (live) animals in military trauma training.

Remember, if you see the Amish or Mennonites abusing animals (puppy mills, starvation, beating, etc.), nothing can legally be done. Your local animal welfare officers already know about it, but our laws don't apply to them. The Mennonites run puppy mills, and nothing can be done about it. The police can politely ask them to stop running puppy mills, but that's about it. Legally, nothing can be done to stop a member from the Amish or Mennonite community from abusing an animal. Sometimes, if something can't be done legally...well, remember the Underground Railroad? Those people were criminals. Everything they did was illegal. But was it wrong? Now, before anyone says anything, I'm not suggesting anyone should ever personally intervene (aside from calling the cops and yelling at the abuser to step away from the animal). It's dangerous and illegal. If the law's on the abuser's side, there's nothing you can do. Legally, speaking.

Anyways, in most cases, the law is on the side of the perpetrator, not the victim. If it were a human being abused, that's a different story. A non-human animal? Well, under the law, they're considered property. Historically speaking, only white males who own property are considered persons.

If you see animals being mistreated, or suspect they're being mistreated, contact your local animal shelters, animal protection officers, PETA, and animal rights groups.

I know a lot of people don't like PETA. I'm a member and I've heard all the "bad" stuff about them. I can say that 99% of that stuff is false and is actually propaganda spread by groups who profit from the exploitation of animals. You don't have to agree with all their methods, but you have to admit that they've helped countless animals. Look up their success stories. Did you know that GM used to use live pigs and ferrets in crash tests? PETA ended that. Did you know that POM, the juice manufacturer, carried out deadly experiments with rats and mice until recently? PETA intervened. Yes, PETA did euthanize a lot of animals from shelters. But what you don't know about those shelters is that they were actually animal hoarders. Most of the animals in these facilities were gravely ill, suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, parasites, infections, and diseases. The other animals that PETA took from shelters were taken so that they could be humanely euthanized. Many shelters can't afford to humanely euthanize the hundreds of animals who are never adopted. Instead, many shelters use DIY methods. PETA will go to these shelters and take these animals so they can be humanely euthanized by qualified individuals (vets, trained staff, etc.), using injections.

Anyways, when "conventional" methods don't help animals, PETA is often an animal's last hope. You don't have to be a fan of them, but PETA will fight for the rights of every animal, and they won't give up. Even if it takes more than a decade, they'll keep fighting. No matter how small it may seem.

Oh, and if a moderator sees this, instead of deleting what I wrote, please just edit it to make it more family-friendly. I'm not trying to force my beliefs on anyone, trying to start a flame war, shock, or offend—I just want to make people aware that sometimes, the law just isn't there to protect animals in need. Sometimes, you have to be the one who makes a difference for animals, whether it be contacting your local newspaper or radio station, passing out petitions, contacting PETA, or contacting your local government representative.

 

[Scott]

So many great animal advocacy groups, it is hard to determine who to support. What matters IMO is for all of us to do whatever is possible for wildlife and companion animals in our own way. For those who frequently give to charities, it is nice to evaluate how your contribution is spent. I use www.charitynavigator.org as an aid. If the organization has been evaluated, you can observe a simple "star" rating and view some financial basics. In this example, ALDF is rated 4-stars and just over 75% of funds are applied to program expenses. Yes, it is possible to parse the statistics, but I believe this is a good tool.

As for PETA, controversial indeed! I supported for many years, but could not continue after viewing their Norfolk VA shelter statistics - and I obtained the official docs from the state of VA. I have no problem with their controversial thought-provoking methods, however their strong stance against companion pets gives pause.

Nothing for me to edit, Teddscau! Your post is informative and conversational. Let us hope all those who contribute to this thread are equally respectful!

 

[Teddscau]

Ooh, I like websites that review charities. A lot of charities don't exactly use donations effectively.

I think a lot of people misunderstand PETA's stance on companion animals. Dogs and cats are animals who depend on humans. The problem is that most people see them as disposable. We live in a world where a lot of people keep these animals, despite not having the knowledge, compassion, or means of properly caring for them. We live in a world where perfectly adoptable animals are euthanized by the thousands, just because there aren't enough homes. Yet breeders keep breeding for profit, pet shops keep selling young animals (who they obtain from mills), and people would rather pay $1,000 for a designer dog, rather than adopt from a shelter. When it comes to companion animals, PETA wants us to think about whether this species of animal should really be kept in captivity. I know a lot of parrots thrive and enjoy life in captivity, but can we truly say it wouldn't have been for the best if we'd just left them in the wild? The situation is what it is, and since these animals can't be released into the wild, we have to make sure these animals can live life to the fullest at sanctuaries or in the homes of humans who can provide these animals with meaningful, fun, healthy lives.

Thanks Scott! I'm glad I didn't write anything inappropriate! I used to go on this one budgie forum all the time, but I was pretty much booted off because what I wrote could upset someone. Honestly, near the end, it felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells. And I was told I wasn't allowed to post in their health section anymore, because what I was saying could cause animals to die. Honestly, I always told people to take their bird to the avian vet ASAP, then I'd give some first aid tips to keep the bird alive until they could take him/her to the vet. I'm not allowed to post anything on that forum anymore unless it's first reviewed by a moderator -_-

Anyways, I'm glad this is a place where we can have honest, thought provoking conversations on animal welfare. On a side note, I can't believe how many high-maintenance birds you have! It must help that they have parrot friends to socialize with. I think the main reason so many parrots are so demanding is because they don't have other feathered friends to hang out with. Being with Noah was almost a full-time job, but now that he's bonded with the budgies, I don't have to worry about him not eating, throwing tantrums, or getting bored when he's not with me. He used to get really hypoglycaemic because he wouldn't eat unless I was with him. It freaked me out because he'd almost fall over when I finally took him out to play. Man, he was really out of it and was almost passing out (I know how serious that is, that's why I worked so hard to get him to become part of the budgie flock).

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

Unfortunately, in the majority of countries, states, provinces, districts, etc., legal action in cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment is very limited. I volunteer at my local Humane Society, and it's quite disheartening. The OSPCA officer and another member of the shelter's staff took part in a massive farm seizure. Dozens of farm animals were seized from horrible conditions, and hundreds of hours went into trying to help these animals. The judge ruled in favour of the abusers, and ordered the OSPCA to hand the animals back over to their abusers. The OSPCA had tons of evidence showing the animals were clearly abused, but all the abusers had to do was promise they would actually start feeding the animals on a regular basis, muck out their stalls more than once a year, and not cause the animals any "unnecessary" suffering.

Also, the OSPCA officer recently seized a cockatiel from terrible conditions. The house was full of dogs, cigarette smoke, wood smoke, and budgies. The cockatiel had plucked her neck and part of her head (I know it sounds like PBFD, but I think she's just been using her foot to pluck or has been rubbing the feathers off). Anyways, I was talking to the officer and she's really frustrated because she can't legally do anything to get them to hand over the rest of the bird's. Honestly, the laws we have suck. Seriously, I could repeatedly punch a puppy in front of a dozen witnesses, but as long as there wasn't any physical evidence (broken bones, cuts, bruises, video), the case would be thrown out.

There's countless cases of animals being mistreated, but nothing that can be legally done about it. Look at the wool industry. Bad, bad things are done to the sheep. Ever hear of ag-gag laws? In many states, it is ILLEGAL to document abuse against farm animals. How about the goose down industry? Look up "NIH baby monkey experiments." Also, we've been fighting for years against the use of (live) animals in military trauma training.

Remember, if you see the Amish or Mennonites abusing animals (puppy mills, starvation, beating, etc.), nothing can legally be done. Your local animal welfare officers already know about it, but our laws don't apply to them. The Mennonites run puppy mills, and nothing can be done about it. The police can politely ask them to stop running puppy mills, but that's about it. Legally, nothing can be done to stop a member from the Amish or Mennonite community from abusing an animal. Sometimes, if something can't be done legally...well, remember the Underground Railroad? Those people were criminals. Everything they did was illegal. But was it wrong? Now, before anyone says anything, I'm not suggesting anyone should ever personally intervene (aside from calling the cops and yelling at the abuser to step away from the animal). It's dangerous and illegal. If the law's on the abuser's side, there's nothing you can do. Legally, speaking.

Anyways, in most cases, the law is on the side of the perpetrator, not the victim. If it were a human being abused, that's a different story. A non-human animal? Well, under the law, they're considered property. Historically speaking, only white males who own property are considered persons.

If you see animals being mistreated, or suspect they're being mistreated, contact your local animal shelters, animal protection officers, PETA, and animal rights groups.

I know a lot of people don't like PETA. I'm a member and I've heard all the "bad" stuff about them. I can say that 99% of that stuff is false and is actually propaganda spread by groups who profit from the exploitation of animals. You don't have to agree with all their methods, but you have to admit that they've helped countless animals. Look up their success stories. Did you know that GM used to use live pigs and ferrets in crash tests? PETA ended that. Did you know that POM, the juice manufacturer, carried out deadly experiments with rats and mice until recently? PETA intervened. Yes, PETA did euthanize a lot of animals from shelters. But what you don't know about those shelters is that they were actually animal hoarders. Most of the animals in these facilities were gravely ill, suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, parasites, infections, and diseases. The other animals that PETA took from shelters were taken so that they could be humanely euthanized. Many shelters can't afford to humanely euthanize the hundreds of animals who are never adopted. Instead, many shelters use DIY methods. PETA will go to these shelters and take these animals so they can be humanely euthanized by qualified individuals (vets, trained staff, etc.), using injections.

Anyways, when "conventional" methods don't help animals, PETA is often an animal's last hope. You don't have to be a fan of them, but PETA will fight for the rights of every animal, and they won't give up. Even if it takes more than a decade, they'll keep fighting. No matter how small it may seem.

Oh, and if a moderator sees this, instead of deleting what I wrote, please just edit it to make it more family-friendly. I'm not trying to force my beliefs on anyone, trying to start a flame war, shock, or offend—I just want to make people aware that sometimes, the law just isn't there to protect animals in need. Sometimes, you have to be the one who makes a difference for animals, whether it be contacting your local newspaper or radio station, passing out petitions, contacting PETA, or contacting your local government representative.

I can agree with you there, I recently joined the PETA SOS team and my mother says a lof the rumors are fake.
I like PETA because I like the fact they discuss the cruelty behind pet stores and animal testing.
I will say this for those that don't like PETA, is there some things they could change? Yes. Should we attack and bully PETA? No.
I was attacked and harassed online by a bird lady in Michigan because she didn't like that I wanted to have a therapy animal parrot. And she got so vicious with her cyber attacks she leaked my personal information and I ended up in the hospital from a heart attack.
Her attacks based on a few views about me almost blew my heart out and killed me. So it wouldn't make it right if I attacked PETA based on their opinions.