Free-range parrots: The end of captive conservation?
Captive conservation of parrot populations has many advantages. Intensive husbandry, veterinary and dietary control enable conservation biologist to boost threatened populations of parrots remarkably. The shelter provided also protects them against foul weather like tropical storms that have the power to devastate island, or otherwise confined, populations of parrot. Captive conservation management is however expensive and holds risks of its own. Building aviaries and paying people to maintain them is usually by far the biggest drain on captive conservation budgets. Dollars better spent on “in situ�? projects where they would be more effective. Captivity itself has adverse effects on parrots as well. In many cases confined and frustrated parrots start to show self mutilating and aggressive behaviours. Resulting in damaged or even the dead breeding stock. In situ projects are far more economic for they do not require aviaries or their maintenance. But leaves you with finite control over disease, weather and other chance effects that could influence the populations stability. So is there a method of managing parrot populations that gives you the best of both?
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