Question #1:
Hi, I have a red fronted parakeet. she's about one and a half years old, but lately, she has been acting weirdly... She's really quiet and lazy, a couple of days ago, her one foot was lame, but thats better again... now both her feet turned white, as if all the color was drained out of them... I was already at the vet and he gave her a shot with vitamin b, but I don't want to go there again this soon. does anybody know whyt it means, if the feet turn white?
Question #2:
Cats are listed among the top 100 worst invasive species.
I've read an estimate that cats may be killing 566 million birds each year, and are listed as the major contributing factor in the extinction of the Guadalupe storm petrel (Oceanodrama macrodactyla), and red-fronted parakeet. As an interesting note, a single cat was isolated as the cause of killing the last Stephen Island Wren (Traversia lyalli) population, thereby driving it to extinction in New Zealand in 1894. There are several initiatives to eliminate cats entirely from a number of islands due to their destructive influence on the natural fauna.
Why then do cat lovers seem to think it is their right to let their cats roam free and that anyone that tells them to keep their cat indoors (as is the LAW where I'm from) or takes steps to control cats in our environment is "cruel" or "mean"?
Is is abhorently irresponsible to let your cat outdoors unattended. Let alone unneutered and/or without immunizations.
To the girl from Illionois... most of the leash laws are left up to cities and townships... here is Chicago's:Each owner shall keep and maintain his animal under restraint; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to any dog being used for rescue or law enforcement work. It shall be unlawful for any owner to allow his or her animal to cross outside the property line of its owner to any extent, including reaching over or under a fence, or to keep or allow his or her animal to be outdoors on an unfenced portion of the owner's property, unless the animal is leashed and under the control of its owner or another responsible person. In addition, it shall be an unlawful failure to restrain for an animal to attack, bite, threaten, or jump on any person without that person's consent, outside the property of the animal's owner. The provisions of this section shall be a positive duty of the owner and the offenses described herein shall be strict liability offenses. ($300.00 fine)
If you actually read what I said, you would notice I said Stephen Island Wren (Traversia lyalli) POPULATION... not the last Stephen Island Wren. And I'm not sure about the possibility of parthenogensis in this particular species (not likely), but it is completely irrelevant because I said POPULATION which is more than 1 bird. Don't try to justify that by saying "if it was just one bird it would have been extinct anyway..." it makes you look stupid because you didn't read what I said.
Kathy, I'm sure if you look closer you'll find that BOTH the rabbits and the cats were introduced by humans... in that case BOTH were exotic species and BOTH did damage to the natural ecosystem. You can't say that attempting to control introduction of exotic species to an ecosystem is bad based on damage caused by two exotic species. Had neither cat or rabbit been introduced this wouldn't have happened. There are quite a number of possible species that you were referring to.. If you let me know which one I'll write a more detailed response.
To those that claim humans are worse... that is TRUE but see my reply about rabbits... you can't justnot controlling an invassive species because another invassive species is present or even worse... dumb arguement.
** Powered by Yahoo Answers
