Victory: San Francisco Supes Vote to Protect Wild Parrots' Habitat

March 8, 2007

On February 24th, I asked people to sign a petition (www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/557131157) supporting an ordinance to preserve the habitat of the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. I am pleased to report that yesterday the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted by a margin of 9 to 1 to pass the ordinance! Mark Bittner, the parrots' longtime caretaker who lives next to the cypresses, noted that " the parrots were sitting in those trees squawking at the very moment the legislation passed. "

Judy Irving, the producer/director of " The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill " (www.pelicanmedia.org/store.htm), said: " A key element in this success was the very visible outpouring of support from all over the globe. We couldn't have done it without IDA. " I therefore want to personally send out a big thank you to everyone who signed IDA's petition and asked their family and friends to do the same. More than 1,900 caring people from every corner of the globe showed their support for the parrots by signing on. By speaking out, we really did make a difference.

For more information about this victory, please visit http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=7702944

.. Also be sure to watch the broadcast television premiere of " The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill " on Tuesday, May 29th at 9:00 p.m. when it airs on PBS' Independent Lens series. For more information, check local listings for your area (

www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html). Or you can purchase a copy of the film on DVD or VHS (http://www.pelicanmedia.org/store.htm

), as well as Mark Bittner's best-selling book " The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story...With Wings " (www.pelicanmedia.org/wildparrots.html

).