THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
Interview with Linda "White Eagle Woman" Wisner
by LOUISE "WIND WALKS WOMAN" BARTON (Cherokee/Mohawk)
Meet LINDA "WHITE EAGLE WOMAN" WISNER, a real RAINBOW WARRIOR and a champion of cats, dogs, and exotic birds. This warrior doesn't just talk about rescuing Earth's creatures; she does something about it 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. At any given time, as the head of FAUNA RESCUE, INC., she may be residing with and caring for, tanks of fish, a half-dozen cats and dogs, and up to 75 exotic birds. Even with that many tanks, litter boxes, and cages to clean, it is still - most of the time - a one-woman operation.
Many of her charges come to her under the worst conditions. Human owners have beaten them with brooms, tortured, starved, and sealed them in enclosures too small to allow these creatures to stand erect or turn around. When Linda hears of an animal suffering abuse, she begins working toward a rescue. Sometimes she goes in alone, other times with a team, and her mission has taken her all over the country.
In the 1800's, parrots were trained by being beaten with a stick and things haven't changed much since. Linda has experienced the worst case scenarios, where birds have been beaten with brooms to the verge of death - backs, wings and legs broken beyond repair. During one such rescue, the owner tried to get payment to release a dying bird, insisting, "it's a very valuable pet." After being rescued, these different types of exotic birds need varying styles of over-sized cages. These cages are frighteningly expensive and take up a great deal of space inside one's home.
During those early rescues, Linda paid her own air fares, motel bills, avian vet fees and other maintenance simply to allow these tortured creatures to breathe their last moments free of their tormentors. She finds she can no longer financially afford to be so magnanimous as simple maintenance costs a minimum of $30,000 annually.
Most recently, her organization had to turn some rescues down because those birds needed special cages and Linda's strength, funding, and space had reached its limit. Sadly our laws don't offer the same protection as for cats and dogs, and those birds were euthanized. This happens because avian vets are very expensive, and most shelters are not equipped for anything that is not a cat or a dog.
Linda strives to rehabilitate and place as many of her charges as quickly as possible. However, the more abused creatures have become so anti-social or require such expensive, medical maintenance that they cannot be placed with new owners. Despite the fact that these crippled creatures may live for another 30 to 90 years, many find a permanent home with Linda.
In the beginning, everything came out of Linda's own pocket. As expenses skyrocketed, she went public for donations after incorporating as FAUNA RESCUE, INC., a charitable institution, which she runs from her home in New Hampshire.
As a child, Linda had many pets, but she always secretly wanted a bird. She discovered that goldfish, if left in their natural environment, could live 90 years. She realized humans were interfering with Nature by keeping these fish as pets for a short time and then flushing them down the toilet. She was eight when her tank of pet fish became ill. She diagnosed the ailment and cured them.
When Linda was 12, her father bought her two parakeets. She exchanged them for Cleo, a noisy, half-moon Amazon conure. Linda and Cleo were inseparable until Cleo got loose during a picnic in Nevada. Cleo soared to the top of a high tree, never to be seen again.
As an adult, Linda wanted to breed birds, but didn't have room in her own home. She funded the project and a friend kept the birds. Each time Linda visited the birds, she felt the cleaning, caring, and feeding of the babies was not being done to her satisfaction. Before the year was out, everything ended up in Linda's home.
Linda tells us it's difficult to find rescue sites for birds. The public isn't aware of this problem because homeless parrots don't roam the street in packs like cats or dogs. They aren't advertised in regular animal shelters and doesn't appear on the news. Before long, people began to notice that Linda had a way with birds. She began getting calls to take birds in. Before the year was out, and without advertising, she had taken in 75 birds.
Linda raises the question as to whether birds should be kept as pets at all. Even in captivity, except for budgies, birds are not much different from their wild relatives. Even hand raised, most are never more than two generations from the wild.
Those who traffic in wild-caught birds sometimes catch one and nail its wings down. Its dying screams attract others of its kind, which are then captured. These birds are transported to other countries under the most cruel and horrendous conditions and only one in ten survives the trip. Wild-parrot trafficking was banned in the U. S. in 1992 although there is a large market in Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world.
Since birds are the third most popular pet in the United States, mass breeding and marketing developed. This led to a different set of problems. Like puppy mills, bird mills often separate the babies from their mothers before they are weaned. Unweaned birds may never learn how to eat and starve in cages in pet stores waiting to be sold.
Denied social interaction with other birds and humans, the unweaned may not learn to preen or what they would ordinarily be taught for survival. Even under the best circumstances, it is impossible to replicate a bird's natural environment. All this can lead to an unpleasantly behaved bird.
Many exotic birds have been found to possess the intellect and emotional stability of a three-to-five-year old human child. In captivity, they are deprived of flight and all natural instincts. Cats and dogs may have the run of the house, but birds are confined to isolation in a small cage.
This is the equivalent of locking a human in a closet and bringing food once a day. As time passed, the human would become emotionally, mentally, and physically unstable -- and so does a bird. Once the bird becomes unstable, so does its owner.
All birds are highly social creatures. Parrots need as much daily attention and interaction as would a human child. They require constant stimulation and toys. Keeping them in toys can become expensive since birds play with their toys by breaking them.
All birds are flock animals and, once deprived of their flock, will cast their owner in that role. A bird's social structure is different than that of a human because birds never leave one another, except in the case of death or severe injury. This causes birds to become confused and stressed when human companions go on vacation.
One of the traits that drive owners crazy is the screaming. Birds scream at intervals during the day. They scream to signal the dawn, nap time, and to urge the flock to look for food. When birds are stressed, they scream more often. Birds cannot be taught not to scream since it is a natural instinct. When the owners start screaming back, the bird welcomes this as the flock's response.
Being trapped in a confined space makes for a mess. Food, water, parts of broken toys, waste matter, and feathers constantly flutter down.
Having a wild bird is like having a baby lion or a baby tiger in your home. While humans like to pet and stroke, birds like to kiss. They can be affectionately kissing you one minute and trying to bite your face off the next. For the bird, this is simply a natural form of expression. Abused birds are the most difficult because they're always trying to take a bite out of someone. Linda cautions handlers never to lose eye contact.
Animals tend to hide when frightened. Dogs and cats will go under the bed or behind furniture, but birds want to fly to the highest point to escape. They can't go any higher than the top of the cage and this causes stress to the bird and, subsequently, to the owner.
Birds must be let out of their cages, into a confined area, to exercise daily. If your bird's cage is placed by a window and a hawk is flying outside, it causes great stress to the bird. Most owners don't understand why their bird is acting wild.
Linda insists that when prey is forced to live with a predator, there must be constant stress. Animals, including humans, that have eyes in the front of their heads are predators. Those, like birds, who have eyes to the side, are prey. Prey is always thinking, "What am I going to eat and what is going to eat me?"
She is also concerned about feral birds in this country who have little protection. Wild migratory birds, such as the Canadian Goose, that no longer migrate end up getting destroyed. If a number are taken alive, avian vet treatment is too expensive to maintain them. The law, which varies from state to state, says you can only keep one bird of any given wild species at a raptor center for educational purposes. An exception is a bonded pair may be kept to care for its babies.
When dealing with feral birds, wild bird pets, and other animal problems, it is best to look for a community solution. In today's computer age, it is easier than ever for those destined to become Rainbow Warriors to band together.
Linda questions the concept of pet ownership. Others share this concept and in some states, guardianship laws have been passed, changing the term owner to guardian.
For those seeking birds as pets, Linda strongly advises: Don't breed! Don't buy! Adopt instead.
Thousands of birds lose their homes every year because their owners didn't understand the enormous care, interaction, patience, and expense involved in raising an exotic bird. For those who are interested in providing a good home to one of the wonderfully exciting and colorful birds: Adoption/Foster Care Information
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Interview with Linda Wisner and visit to FAUNA RESCUE, INC.
THE 2nd ANNUAL AVIAN WELFARE ROUND TABLE held in Arlington, VA, June 2002.
ANIMAL GUARDIAN. A publication of the Doris Day Animal League and the Doris Day Foundation, Washington, DC, Summer 2002.
Astor, Michel. "New Breed of Parrot Found in Brazil." Associated Press, 5/31/02.
Engebretson, Monica and McCarthy, Eileen. BIRD ADOPTION PACKAGE FOR SHELTERS. Animal Protection Institute (in co-operation with) Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services, Inc., Sacramento, (updated).
Engebretson, Monica. "The Sale of Unweaned Birds." Animal Protection Institute, Sacramento, 2001.
Engebretson, Monica. "Should birds be kept as pets at all?" Animal Protection Institute, Sacramento, 2001.
Paddock, Richard C. "Feathered Fugitives." Los Angeles Times, 1/2/2002.
Katz, Dr. Elliot. "They Are Not Our Property. We Are Not Their Owners." In Defense of Animals, Mill Valley, CA. EMAIL
Kelly, Denise and McCarthy, Eileen. "Avian Welfare Issues: An Overview." The Avian Welfare Coalition, 2001.
Kelly, Denise. "The Need for New Approaches to Avian Welfare." The Avian Welfare Coalition, 2001.
Scott, Norris. "Sick as a Parrot." NEW SCIENTIST MAGAZINE, Issue 2994, 6/9/2001.
Vogel, Tracy. "Avian Rescues Take Flight." VetCentric.com, Inc., 2000.
Whittell, Giles. "Battle of the Bird Breeders." The Times, 1/11/02.
Wisner, Linda. "Which Rescue is More Important?" Fauna Rescue, Inc., Nashua, 2001.
"Captive Birds: A Hidden Crisis." API Issues. Animal Protection Institute, Sacramento, 6/01/02.
"Don't breed. Don't buy. ADOPT!" The Avian Welfare Coalition
"Responsible Pet Guardianship." Doris Day Animal League, MA SPCA (undated).
http://www.peta./org/news/NewsItem.asp?id=760
Louise "Wind Walks Woman" Barton is listed in the Internet Public Library's Native American Authors Project.
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When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way;
sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation 1768 - 1813