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provision of any other law. The United States government grants citizenship to the 

 children of illegal aliens born in the United States, yet the USFWS has determined 

 as a matter of policy that exotic birds bom in the United States of parental stock 

 v^hich may have been illegally imported are not legal. This policy is so preposterous 

 that it could even pertain to originally imported birds deemed illegal due to 

 inappropriate paperwork, improper shipment or other technical violations of law. 

 There is no reasonable basis to have any uncertainty of the legal status of birds 

 hatched from parents located in the United States. Such a policy punishes the U.S. 

 hatched birds and their honest owners. 



11. Continue Congressional Oversight. 



Finally, Congress must retain oversight of the WBCA. Aviculture asks that 

 in April of 1997 Congress again hold an oversight hearing on the WBCA. We ask 

 that between now and that date Congress, through the staff of this Subcommittee, 

 monitor the regulations and the progress of the USFWS in making P.L. 102-440 

 function as the WBCA. 



CONCLUSION 



On behalf of aviculture in the United States, the AFA is honored to have had 

 this opportunity to share its concerns about the WBCA with the Subcommittee. 

 Aviculture wishes to have an effective, fair and properly functioning WBCA which 

 will accomplish its goals. Programs for sustainable trade and aviculture are 

 independent, but critically important to one another. We cannot trust one without 

 the other to effectively save birds and each, if properly promoted, will have side 

 benefits in addition to saving and preserving exotic avian species. Sustainable trade 

 and giving value to trade in wild birds will be an incentive to preserve habitat. 

 Aviculture and promoting the captive breeding of avian species will have the effect 

 of creating sustainable gene pools of these species, allowing us to better understand 

 their biology. Captive breeding of exotic birds in the U.S. reduces the demand on 

 wild populations to supply trade. Additionally, the incentive to smuggle exotic 

 birds is reduced with the rearing of each and every captive-bred exotic bird produced 

 in a U.S. aviary. The avicultural organizations and people joining in this testimony 

 on behalf of U.S. aviculture are themselves the stewards of exotic birds; they educate 

 the public about how important it is that these birds be saved, both in captivity and 

 in the wild; and they furnish pet birds for human companionship. We ask that 

 Congress help us, aviculture, in our efforts to face this task. Make the WBCA a 

 workable conservation and humanitarian tool, not one which obstructs 

 conservation and humanitarian pursuits. 



Respectfully Submitted on Behalf of Aviculture 



By the American Federation of Aviculture, Inc. 



and by the Following Avicultural Organizations and 



Concerned Parties in Support of Aviculture 



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