January 9, 2001

THE CORPORATION OF THE
DISTRICT OF MAPLE RIDGE

Dear Mayor Hogarth and Councillors:

                RE:  MAPLE RIDGE EXOTIC ANIMAL BYLAW NO. 57-55-1999

                I am a Director of the Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada which is the national organization of bird breeders for clubs and individual pet owners located in Victoria. I am also a Director of the Parrot Association of Canada, the national organization of parrot breeders for conservation, and a Director of the Budgerigar and Foreign Bird Society, Canada's oldest and largest bird club. As such I speak for thousands of bird owners and breeders across the country.

                We are very concerned about your proposed bylaw which will effectively ban all pet and aviary birds from the District of Maple Ridge. I ask you to consider why you are doing this. What municipal or local purpose is served by such a serious and damaging bylaw?

                 I do not know if you are aware of the large numbers of people that own exotic birds. In Canada they would number several hundred thousand with one to two million pet and aviary birds. Many of your constituents own pet birds and I understand that there is at least one breeder of parrots and other exotic birds in the District. You would make their beloved pets and these beautiful trusting creatures illegal with the stroke of a pen. This would include, not only parrots, but canaries, budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels and all other commonly kept pet birds.

                 Before doing so, not only should there be some legitimate municipal purpose, but there should also be some logical reason for destroying local aviculture. When it comes to animals, local government generally is interested in controlling and preventing dogs and cats from roaming and causing damage and injury, resulting in myriad complaints which have to be dealt with by your staff on a daily basis. As far as I know, there has never been a complaint filed of pet or aviary birds escaping and attacking the local citizenry or damaging neighbours' property!

                 A recent concern has arisen over some urban dwellers keeping dangerous animals such as large predatory cats, poisonous snakes and the like. There is undoubtedly a good argument to be made for protecting the safety of your constituents from dangerous animals but pet birds hardly fit into this category.

                 Some people point to a danger to the local environment if exotic pets escape into the wild. There has never been a known case of exotic birds, such as parrots, escaping and surviving our harsh environment nor has there ever been a known case of them spreading disease to local bird populations.

                 A popular argument promulgated by animal activists in favour of restrictive bylaws is the preservation of endangered species. Banning birds in your community will not do one thing for the preservation of endangered parrots or other birds. In fact, it will only increase the danger to them and hasten their extinction. Exotic birds are not being taken out of the wild for the pet trade in Canada and have not been since the 1970's. All exotic birds like parrots now come from domestic breeders and are bred in Canada. AACC each year sells 80,000 identification bands for birds that have been bred in Canada and this only represents perhaps one-third of the total that are bred here.

                 There is also comprehensive federal legislation in place (WAPPRIITA) which prohibits the trade in endangered species and provides for serious penalties (up to $250,000.00 fines and five years in prison). A local bylaw is not needed to curb this activity. However laudable the objective, and we all support it directly and financially, the preservation of endangered species in other parts of the world really is not a local issue to be addressed by local laws.

                 Your proposed bylaw will cause untold grief to people who have and breed pet, aviary and show birds. In other communities where we have seen such legislation passed, people begin phoning the animal control officers and pet stores to see where they have to surrender their birds to comply with the law. Many of these people are elderly, shut-ins and vulnerable persons who can keep only birds as pets.

                 The proposed bylaw will prevent local breeders and aviculturists from breeding and keeping exotic species thereby reducing the numbers available for pets and for aviaries. Instead of protecting endangered species in the wild, the bylaw will have the direct and undesirable effect of eliminating domestic breeding, encourage smugglers to increase illegal trade to supply an underground market and decimate wild populations in the originating countries.

                 Habitat destruction in their countries of origin is recognized by all experts as the single greatest threat to bird and other species. Vast areas of rain forest and other natural habitat have been destroyed and continue to be destroyed on a daily basis. If your Council seriously wishes to do something for endangered species, seeking ways to preserve their habitat and discouraging those countries from destroying them would be far more effective and respected by your constituents. You would save far more parrots by converting one Brazilian hunter than passing a bylaw banning birds from our homes.

                  I again ask you to consider what municipal or other purpose would be served by your proposed bylaw. What possible logic would justify such a serious infringement on many of your constituents' everyday lives and would result in such devastation to aviculture in general? And why would you allow dog and cat shows, and rodeos, while banning bird shows?

                  Please do not adopt the proposed bylaw without further consultation with the avicultural community. I would be more than pleased to discuss with you or provide you with information on other bylaw initiatives that have been taken that are not as destructive.

                  I thank you for your consideration.

                                                                             Yours very truly,

                                                                              CHRISTOPHER HOLOBOFF
CH/cv