cgeoff

Richard Corlett of HK University has sent an email to interested parties concerning the bird trade. An excerpt is below:

"I would like to suggest that we all
agree on the EU's solution, i.e. a permanent ban on the import of
wild-caught birds, with all captive-bred birds required to be fitted
with unique, traceable closed rings or microchips. If this was done
after consultation, and with perhaps a 1-year grace period, it should
cause nobody any hardship. Hong Kong can do without HK$4 birds.

It would only impact the high-volume low-profit-margin end of the
bird trade, since many of the most popular cage-birds are already
captive-bred and the parrots, at least, have numbered rings. The
massive improvement in bird welfare should please the Buddhists and -
I hope - they would have second thoughts about releasing more
expensive birds of obvious captive origin. I cannot see Beijing
or  Guangzhou objecting, since much of the current trade is illegal
or barely legal under a variety of local and national laws.

Would WWF, TRAFFIC, HKBWS and/or KFBG be interested in drafting a
formal proposal on this that we could then all sign?"

I would like to urge the Society to seriously consider this proposal. I believe strongly that it should have as a basic aim this permanent ban on wild-caught birds.

It is time for the Society to take a more pro-active role in this very important area, one that is central to the interests and concerns of its members.

Geoff Carey

cgeoff

A press briefing is being organised this week to state the HKBWS position. So what is the position? Do we, members of the HKBWS, get to find out the position before the press briefing? Or a chance to comment on it? Or is it something that is decided by one or two people and then presented as the 'HKBWS position'?

If this discussion is anything to go by, then 100% of Society members support the imposition of a complete ban on the wild bird trade in HK or a trade that is rigourously controlled to maintain humaneness.

I hope that this is what comes out of the briefing. I cannot see how any other position could arise given that we are interested in the welfare and conservation of wild birds. I expect a justification of the position, whatever is presented, to appear on this Forum.

Geoff