Grassroots Conservation of Biological Diversity in the United States Page: 32
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AFA conducts a regular survey to determine
the type, population, and reproduction success
of bird species being maintained in captivity.
While not exhaustive, this survey provides bet
ter information on the private breeding and
maintenance of birds than is otherwise avail
able. Such information is essential to locate in
dividuals for breeding programs like that de
signed for the Black Palm cockatoo. They also
monitor the success of individual captive breed
ing efforts and award successful efforts as well
as those member activities which encourage
other bird keepers to gain and pass on skills in
captive breeding.
Some people are concerned that private col
lectors contribute to the trade in endangered
species, particularly native birds of prey. Nu
merous statutes limit the possession of such
birds (25), and at least one State forbids the sale
of any wild collected bird in order to limit trade
in endangered and illegally imported animals.
Private collectors argue that such laws restrict
legitimate efforts to propagate rare species and
actually encourage illicit trade (34,37). Societies
such as AFA discourage illegal activities by
refusing membership to persons who have"...
been convicted of violation of any State or Fed
eral law concerning the importation, interstate
shipment, possession or inhumane treatment
of any avian species" (76). Such peer pressure,
while not fully effective, can make the market
ing of illegally imported animals more difficult.
A second problem is that importing exotic bird
species may inadvertently introduce diseases
of serious consequence for domestic fowl. For
example, the discovery that the highly conta
gious Newcastle's disease (Velogenic Viscero
tropic Newcastle Disease) can infect exotic birds
has been of great concern to aviculturists and
animal health officials. Finding a single infected
bird generally requires the destruction of a col
lection. AFA has established telephone net
works among its members to alert them of emer
gencies such as disease outbreaks. They also are
working to gain improvements in postquaran
tine holding and transfer facilities that would
prevent healthy imported stock from being mixed
with infected birds already in this country.Individuals keep wild animals for diverse rea
sons, ranging from personal taste to a desire to
conserve rare and endangered species. Most of
these people keep animals as a hobby and prob
ably contribute little to the overall preservation
of biological diversity. However, the success of
a few private breeders with some exotic, endan
gered species may, it is argued, reduce the prices
for those species and make collection from the
wild unattractive. By monitoring the activities
of individual breeders, groups like AFA can be
important links to a large, diverse sector from
which accurate, well maintained records of
activities are otherwise unavailable (58). Such
records can provide breeders with valuable tech
nical information and access to larger, more ge
netically diverse populations.
Texas Game Ranches
Individual interest sparks some grassroots
conservation projects, including the present
efforts to breed exotic animals on ranches in
Texas, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Flori
da, and Hawaii (77,83). The work, which began
more than 50 years ago in Texas, has been both
highly praised and sharply criticized. Although
these efforts are similar to those of other indi
vidual collectors previously discussed, the scale
of these operations as well as the high costs asso
ciated with acquisition and maintenance of ex
otic mammalian stock restricts this pursuit to
a few individuals whose inclination is backed
by adequate resources.
The first Texas game ranch dates back to the
1930s when the King Ranch purchased several
Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), a prolific spe
cies of Asian antelope (83). In their south Texas
home, the antelope readily grew into a sizable,
though reportedly ill tempered, herd. Another
Texas ranch in the 1940s established herds of
blackbuck antelope and exotic deer species.
Intrigued by this latter success, other Texas
ranchers soon boasted varied collections of Afri
can and Asian species. Ranchers, by 1960, were
allowing interested parties to hunt exotics (some
nearing extinction in their native lands) for
trophies. They began, over the next several
years, to form associations with zoos to gain ac
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United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Grassroots Conservation of Biological Diversity in the United States, report, February 1986; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39608/m1/36/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.