# Proposal To Outlaw Nanday Conures In Pennsylvania



## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

LEGISLATIVE ALERT - HEARING 1/27/08

THE ISSUE - CURRENT PROPOSAL TO OUTLAW NANDAY CONURES IN PENNSYLVANIA:

Hearing will be held 1/27/08 - 1/29/08
Pennsylvania Game Commission Headquarters
2001 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797 
(717) 787-4250
[email protected] 

There is a proposal presently pending before the Pennsylvania Game Commission to outlaw the possession of the Nanday conure. If passed, this law will not "grandfather" any Nandays currently kept as pets. The birds will become illegal. They will be subject to confiscation to be destroyed as pests. Quakers already are illegal in Pennsylvania. 

A link to the PA Code section that they propose to amend is at the bottom of this alert.

This proposal which is now before the Game Commission seeks to amend PA law to prohibit the "importation, possession, sale, and release" of Nanday conures in Pennsylvania "in response to human health/safety and wildlife habitat health purposes". Monk (Quaker) parakeets are already prohibited. There is no "grandfather" clause in this proposal - that generally means that Nandays already in PA would also become illegal and subject to confiscation and euthanasia as pests if this proposal becomes law.


ACTION TO BE TAKEN:

The Game Commission office will accept public comments at their meeting which starts on Sunday January 27th and carries through to January 28 and 29. A link to the Agenda for that meeting is at the end of this email. 

If you oppose the current proposal in Pennsylvania you need to ACT NOW to defeat this proposal.

The Executive Director and staff of the Game Commission "recommend the Commission approve these changes". Given that recommendation, unless voters in PA step up at this meeting to oppose this proposal, it will probably pass. Your "job" is to let your government know what you want. Once a law such as this is enacted it is almost impossible to get it repealed. Now it the time to act.

You (and any other bird folks you can round up) can appear at the Game Commission meeting to present comments in opposition to the proposal - preferably on Sunday the 27th so that you are sure to be given time to speak - but they may delay you to the 28th or 29th, so be prepared for that. Be prepared to submit your comments in writing as well as orally, in case you don't get the chance to speak. Try to keep your written comments to one page.

Keep in mind these officials are just people doing a job. Don't be afraid to appear at the meeting and testify. Address them politely, as human beings, and you should be able to make your points.

Generally people are given a few minutes, maybe 5 max, to make their points. Each speaker should be prepared ahead of time, with a short, focused, businesslike presentation, which they can read aloud. Be sure the presentations focus on the following two points (once you make those points you can let them know you are a human who owns and loves her pet birds, but that shouldn't be the main focus). 

The two points the Game Commission will be focusing on are the claims that Nandays threaten human health and safety and wildlife habitat. You need to be prepared to negate both of those claims. Keep in mind, if Nandays can now be claimed to be a threat to human health and safety, any parrot or other bird can be added later. Same for the wildlife habitat health claim. Do your homework and prepare yourself with documentation to counter at least these two claims.

Be sure those who testify for your position are well dressed and act professionally - I can assure you that the proponents of this bill will not be appearing in T shirts. Do not go into "I love my pet and this law isn't fair for my pets......" The Game Commission is not concerned with our love of our pets - they are charged with the responsibility of protecting the wildlife of PA, and unless you can rationally argue that Nandays don't threaten human health and safety or wildlife habitat in PA, this law is likely to pass.

Written supporting documentation from the proponents which shows that Nandays threaten human health and safety or wildlife habitat in PA (if in fact they have any, other than their claims) was not available when I inquired. You can ask for a copy of their documentation at the hearing so that you can be given time to read, evaluate, and respond to it. Ask the Commission to give you a copy or that they mail it to you so that you will have time to address their claims. Ask the Commission not to adopt the proposal at this meeting, or at least to delay any vote to a future meeting to give you and other opponents of the proposal time to read and respond to any of the Commission's materials that support their proposal. Remember, this bill has to be voted on by the Game Commission if it is to become law, and a vote delayed is a vote not taken.

I would expect the "human health and safety" claims to include claims that Nandays transmit psittacosis (chlamydia) and bird flu, and perhaps Exotic Newcastles Disease (END). Be prepared for those claims. Psittacosis, while transmissible to humans from birds, is treatable with antibiotics both for birds and humans, and is not usually life threatening. Parrots have not been shown to transmit bird flu, and the dreaded "worldwide pandemic of bird flu" has not come to pass - in the 10 years or so it has been circulating in Southeast Asia only about 100 people have died - that is not a worldwide pandemic. While parrots, like many other species of birds, can catch END (usually from infected poultry), there is no scientific data published that shows that parrots have been the source of any END outbreak in the United States.

You have a job to do (protecting Nandays in PA) and I assume you can do it. Get others to go with you, and if you present a united front, you may be able to stop this proposal.

For those who can appear and testify - do so. 

For those who can't appear, submit written comments before 1/27/08. 


SUPPORTING LINKS AND DOCUMENTS:

Existing Pennsylvania Code this proposal would amend: (monk parakeets already prohibited)
See - Section 58 - Recreation, Part III - Game Commission, Chapter 137
http://www.pacode.com/secure/browse.asp

The Agenda for the 1/27 - 1/29 meeting is at this link:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=481&q=163334

The contact information for the Game Commission is 
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=481&q=153205

Let me know if you have any questions.

Genny Wall
AFA Legislative VP
[email protected]

"The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of man's spiritual nature, of his feelings and of his intellect. They knew that only a part of the pain, pleasure and satisfactions of life are to be found in material things. They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions and their sensations. They conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone - the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men. To protect that right, every unjustifiable intrusion by the government upon the privacy of the individual, whatever the means employed, must be deemed a violation of the Fourth Amendment. And the use, as evidence in a criminal proceeding, of facts ascertained by such intrusion must be deemed a violation of the Fifth." 
--Justice Louis Brandeis OLMSTEAD v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438 (1928)


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

What a sad day   

What and why are these birds targeted??? I know we have some members in PA. Maybe they can let us know.

I guess they eat grain and travel in flocks of around 20, and heaven forbid, make noise!!

They look a lot like the Carolina parakeet -- another bird species that we humans exterminated completely in the name of progress?? or something.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

The evil little parrot must be eliminated!! We can, however, look the other way while people walk across our borders illegally


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

This is just too darn much. [I chose my words very carefully.] 
To ban anymore NCfrom being brought into the state is one thing but to confiscate the ones that are there already is too much.
What's next? Who's next?


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## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

TheSnipes said:


> The evil little parrot must be eliminated!! We can, however, look the other way while people walk across our borders illegally


Oh, I agree with you. I wonder just what these "evil Parrots" have done to deserve such a fate... .... Maybe they should spend more $$$ on the border of Mexico, eh? I can't believe what is going on these days. Don't those big-wigs have any real criminals to work on? They must pick on a bird? How unbelievebale........ I Hope all goes well., Snowbird Sue


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

What in the h*** is wrong with people!!! I can understand limiting a bird with documented need, but to remove people's pets and birds already in captivity is just WRONG! Is there anything those of us out of state can do or say to help?

Margaret


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Margarret said:


> What in the h*** is wrong with people!!! I can understand limiting a bird with documented need, but to remove people's pets and birds already in captivity is just WRONG! Is there anything those of us out of state can do or say to help?
> 
> Margaret


We could start bomb-barding them with emails and phone calls.

We really need an advocacy category. There is so much of this kind of thing to respond to right now. I'm feeling overwhelmed by it.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

I suspect that all such things evolve out of over-zealous efforts to control invasive species. It's well known that escaped birds can establish colonies and as we all know, the world goes careening off its axis and spirals into the sun. OK just a bit of sarcasm, but you know this is where these things start. Bureaucratic minds being what they are, there is no middle ground, no grey area between the black and white, just a mindless jack-booted goose-step to the tune of their "final solution."

But...I'm not bitter!!


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## horsesgot6 (May 30, 2007)

Boy I Just Love What And How Tax Dollars Are Used For. No wonder The Country Is In The red.


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Charis said:


> We could start bomb-barding them with emails and phone calls.
> 
> We really need an advocacy category. There is so much of this kind of thing to respond to right now. I'm feeling overwhelmed by it.



Charis,

I'm right there with you. It is overwhelming. 

Margaret


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

It is just so much c**p.

It is claimed that these birds can transmit Psittacosis ... so what? Any bird in the parrot family can get and transmit that. So can other species (as Ornithosis). 

According to the CDC, the majority of cases involve pet owners of psittacine birds or petstore workers, or breeders. So are they going to ban people from owning *any* kind of parrot, parakeets, macaws, etc? 

The chances of one of these birds infecting a wild bird of another species with psittacosis are very slim, even assuming all birds can readily get the same strain.

Nothing would surprise me with these 'authorities' attitude to birds - next they'll be allowing parrot shoots!

John


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

This is more then control, it's a crime against nature.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> We really need an advocacy category. There is so much of this kind of thing to respond to right now. I'm feeling overwhelmed by it.


I agree. Might be a good idea to keep it for registered users only, like Small Talk.

I was very impressed by Genny Wall's instructions of what to do and how to fight this.

Cynthia


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Googull has changed the 'news' category so that it is now 'News & Advocacy' 

Pigeon related causes and other calls for public support as well as breaking pigeon news

Works as the news category always did, posts have to be scrutinized before appearing. 

Good idea, all who mentioned it

John


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

John_D said:


> Googull has changed the 'news' category so that it is now 'News & Advocacy'
> 
> Pigeon related causes and other calls for public support as well as breaking pigeon news
> 
> ...


Thank you for being an advocate for this change.


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