How can people release pets into the wild....?

Question

How is it, some people can let birds go in their back yards when they decide they don't want it anymore? I was shopping one day in a town about 60 miles from where I live, and ran into one of my hometown friends, well, luck has it she was going to her uncles for dinner. she called me on her cell, her uncle had found a bird in the feild behind their house. My friend called me, knowing I am an amimal lover, and told me the story. Her uncle had gone to neighboring houses to see if the bird got loose. The owner of the bird (small parakeet) just didn't want it anymore. So she let it go. It's wings were just freshly cut too, so it couldn't fly away from preditors. How can ppl do this? Have they no respect or conscience? I told them to call a pet store, sometimes they take animals back. My friend called me back and it was a no go for one of the big pet store chains. SO, I called my pet store, and luck would have it, they took the lil bird in to find it a new home. HOW can ppl do this??????

It's nice to know others feel the same as I do. I might add too that not only did the lady just not want this lil bird, but she claimed it was mean. WELL HELLO! I picked the bird up and yeah, he bit. But not that hard. he just needed love and obviously knew that lady wasn't a true pet lover. What made me really mad is that she didn't make any effort into finding a new home. It took just one call and like 20 min. out of my time and the lil bird had a new shot in life. It just hurts knowing their are animals out there that aren't so lucky. Thank you all, for understanding.

Answer 1

People are either uneducated or uncaring. This problem, along with bringing wildlife IN, are a couple of my biggest peeves. It's like they are a piece of trash, just tossing them out when no longer needed. It make one wonder why they got a pet to begin with. Do they have problems keeping normal human relationships? Do they need something they can control and throw away as they wish? I don't understand it at all.

Being in the animal field my whole life (including pet store employee for 6yrs, humane society worker 2yrs) I do run across a suprising number of uneducated but well-meaning people. Some people do not realize the intellegence of their pets- they don't know that pets have real feelings and mourn the loss of their owners. They may not know that pets are not wild animals, or that a pet parakeet native to Australia probably will not have a happy ending in Colorado or Wisconsin.

It is our responsibility as animal lovers to educate people. Not everyone was born with the ability to see things the way we do, there will always be people that "just don't get it". Some even "get it" and dont WANT it, which really gets an animal person goin! They know they are being cruel and don't care! The next step for these people is human cruelty. It is not a big step- it's well known that murderers and rapists commonly abuse animals as children.

So, to end my ranting... we need to educate as many people as we can and spred the word to as many people as we can. We need to prosecute the people that "get it" and don't care...including children. We need to educate ourselves and raise educated children that care about other beings!!!

OK....I feel better now!

Answer 2

I hate the way that people think that they are better than animals. Like the law they've put on pigeons, it's now illegal to feed them because there are too many of them. Who said there's not too many humans? They have the same right to live as we do, I understand that they can be harmfull and spread deseases and stuff but it doesn't mean they deserve to die. It's horrible when I see them on the street with only one leg or a broken leg, I've also seen a few ran over. The poor creatures have the same right to live as we do.

People are also ignorant, it's logical that a bird if it's used to being a pet, it's not go many chances of surviving in the wild. And its just pure stupidity to cut it's wings knowing you'r going to let it go. Birds are meant to fly not walk. Why do you buy a pet if your not gonna care for it and just let it go. There are loads of people willing to give it a good home and the right care. It's just being selfish and lazy.

I hope the poor little bird has a nice life and has found a nice new home.

Answer 3

I'm telling you, stories about abusing children and animals break my heart; I can still remember stories my father told me about when he was a kid, living on a farm with his Aunt and Uncle, if the "cat" had too many kittens, they would simply put them all in a bag and throw it into the water to drown them! How disgusting is this? Ignorance is bliss, so they say, and from what I can see, there are millions of ignoramuses out there; don't they know all they have to do is bring an unwanted pet to a place like Adopt-a-Dog(who also accepts cats, birds, some reptiles,snake); I mean, come on; We have to have tougher laws that will deter these idiots...not just a slap on the hand or some ridiculously low fine; send them to jail for a couple of days with some hard timers who also hate this type of "thing" and see how they like being abused!

Answer 4

Its a combination of ignorance, romantic ideals and laziness. Many people will think releasing animals into the beter for them because they can be free and not confined to a cage. It is a romantic way of looking at it. You see it alot with rabbits after easter.

People don't realize that not only can they harm the animal, they can cause serious ecological damage as well. In Hawii for example, certain species of domesticated annimals like rabbits and snakes can devestate the ecosystem causing indigenous species to go extinct. State and federal wildlife officials will kill rabbits on sight.

Same thing happens with Tropical Fish. Wildlife officials have posioned whole ponds and lakes to prevent the Asian Snakehead from getting a foothold in the area. It has since made its way to the Potomac River and if it thrives, will be very damaging to the indigenous fish population.

There are organizations out there that will take your animals, it just takes some effort. Dont be lazy.

Answer 5

I know tell me about it.

Get this in Florida people let their pet pythons and boas free into the everglades and their now eating the alligators, and deer, their, although a lot of times the alligators do eat the snakes, and their are also monkeys that are loose in Florida when monkeys become hormonal as pets people turn them loose and their now breeding in Florida. The same goes, for iguanas, crocodiles, moniter lizards, and even exotic birds such as macaws, african greys, and am,azons, as well as parakeets, and cockatiels.

And here where I live in New York, people turn loose their quaker parakeets or monk parakeets as some people call them loose, now they are in all 5 buroughs of NY as well as parts of Long Island, and they have been breeding here for over 30 years. They dont displace any native species or harm the environment, but still people shouldnt just turn their pets loose out in the wild.

I dont know what is wrong with some people use common sense am I right, looks like you and me are the smart ones.

Answer 6

Many people think that it's more cruel to keep an animal caged up, and they'd be happier in the wild.
In a way, it is true, but what they don't seem to acknowledge, is the fact that the animal they have, is from a long line of domestication, therefore have little to no knowledge of how to fend for themselves.
Granted, you can see some of the same animals in the wild, but they were born in the wild, and know how to survive. Domesticated animals, released into the wild, have a limited time to learn the ways or die trying.

Answer 7

In your case, they were ignorant. A lot of people are. They do not realize that non-native species cannot survive, or if they can, may do a lot of damage. Other people think they are doing something good. I heard that after 'Finding Nemo' came out, a lot of people actually bought clownfish to release them in their local pond/lake/river, or evern flush them down the toilet! How clueless! Like you found, it is not that difficult to find a good new home for pets. There are tons of websites that offer free classified ads, or you can put a sign up somewhere.

Answer 8

Some people don't consider animals to be important and just get tired of them. It is an irresponsible and thoughtless way to behave. If laws were tougher on animal neglecters/abusers, maybe people would think twice about how they treat them. It is an extremely frustrating and sad situation for those who are true animal lovers.

Answer 9

its a cruel world out there. some people have cold hearts & they show no compassion for anything, not even themselves. someone should put this person outside in the wild to see if they can survive !! lucky for the parakeet, their are people like us in the world who care so much for animals that we will either take them in from the cold or find another home for them. it breaks my heart when i read about people that leave pets in trash bags ect......

Answer 10

Because they're selfish,unfeeling jerks that don't have a concience. Maybe when they get old, their kids will put them out on the street because they don't want them anymore.