The Council of Agriculture yesterday said it would publish guidelines for owners of pet birds, following calls from animal advocates to provide caregiving advice covering a variety of species of avian companions.
At a news conference hosted by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), representatives from animal protection groups urged the council to make an official version of the bird care guidelines already supplied by private groups.
Parrots account for at least 70 percent of all pet birds in Taiwan, with the majority of owners raising more than one, Taiwan Bird Rescue Association secretary-general Wu Chun-yi (吳峮毅) said.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
There were about 200,000 pet birds in Taiwan a decade ago, but the number has grown to an estimated 400,000 birds and 100,000 owners, although no official data exist, Wu said.
There are hundreds of species of parrot from all over the world, and each has their own diet and needs, she said.
Most adverse situations the association encounters involve owners unaware of how to interact with or feed their pet, resulting in injuries to both owner and bird, she said.
Most cases could have been avoided with proper information and common sense, she added.
Unofficial guidelines provided by bird welfare organizations include information about proper care, diet, interaction, health, fertility control, care for elderly birds and end of life, providing basic guidance to first-time owners, Wu said.
However, the guidelines would be more helpful if provided by an official government source with expert research, she added.
Sung Nien-chieh (宋念潔), director of the agriculture council’s new Pet Management Division, founded in April, said there would be “absolutely no problem” with making an official version of the guidelines, and it has been added to the agenda.
The division’s main goals include regulating the pet industry through legislation, and managing pet ownership through solicitation and classification of information, Sung said.
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