Guest guest Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/1/28/features/28rarpet & sec=\ features ________________________ Tuesday, January 28, 2003 No regard for rare pets By Hilary Chiew A MIDDLE-aged man walked into the Kooi Lim Birdshop in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and headed straight for a cage filled with parakeets. Ten minutes later, he was holding a smaller cage with a blue-winged bird. He had paid RM25 for the purchase. “I & #8217;m buying a younger bird for my kids as their earlier pet had grown too big. It shits too much and is getting too difficult to care for,” the man said. So what did he do with the big bird? “We just released it in the park,” came the nonchalant reply. How many pet owners can identify with this attitude? Iguanas, chameleons, terrapins and macaws are the rage now. Most pet species are adorable and manageable when they are young, but once they lose their novelty, some owners would not hesitate to release them into public parks, lakes or ponds. Inadequate knowledge of wild animal behaviour often makes pet owners poor keepers. Wild species have varying needs and behavioural changes associated with their breeding cycle which most pet traders are unaware of. Once out of their natural habitats, these animals suffer in a simulated environment in an aquarium or terrarium that restricts their roaming range and retards their instinctive hunting behaviour. ”Even with non-protected species, it is irresponsible of owners if they do not know how to care for the animals. If they want pets, they should just keep dogs and cats. They should not acquire rare animals for the novelty of it,” said Chris Shepherd of the wildlife trade monitoring outfit, TRAFFIC. The organisation is a joint programme between World Conservation Union and World Wide Fund for Nature. “It is cruel to release a caged animal that is used to being fed, into the wild as it might die of starvation or become easy prey to predators. “Consumers need to be made aware that the under-regulated pet trade is contributing to the decline and possible extinction of species in the wild,” says Shepherd. As more and more alien species are released into the environment, it can have adverse and far-reaching consequences on native ecosystems. ”We know that the North American red-eared slider is breeding in Malaysia but we don & #8217;t know its impact on the local ecosystem. Someone should conduct research in this area,” suggests Shepherd. “We heard that the Amazonian arapaima is being released into streams and rivers, and we are concerned that this may have a devastating effect on our freshwater fauna as the south American species is a ferocious predator that could wipe out native species,” says Misliah Mohamad Basir, enforcement director of the Wildlife and National Parks Department. ”Guidelines for good practices are required to resolve such issues. The department is updating its list of pet shops and would soon call for the involvement of the business sector in formulating awareness programmes for traders and pet owners. “In our amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, we have suggested that alien species be tagged with microchips so that we can trace the abandoned pets to their owners. This will help to enforce responsibility of ownership,” adds Misliah. <b>WHAT YOU CAN DO</b> IF YOU are going to buy a pet, do some basic research on the species: <li> Find out if the species is protected internationally, locally or has the potential to be an invasive species. <li> If the species is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) or the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, ask for documentation to show that the animal was acquired with the proper permits. Notify the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) if the trader is unable to produce the proper papers. <li> Alert Perhilitan whenever you come across dubious pet shops and aquariums. <li> Refrain from buying illegal species. <i>Useful websites: <a href= " http://www.wildlife.gov.my " target= " _blank " >www.wildlife.gov.my</a> , <a href= " http://www.cites.org " target= " _blank " >www.cites.org</a> and <a href= " http://www.traffic.org " target= " _blank " >www.traffic.org</a> .</i> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. 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