193 



can indicate such findings as kid- 

 ney disease, presence of excessive 

 glucose or sugar in the urine (may 

 be suggestive of diabetes), kid- 

 ney function, and possibility of 

 heavy metal poisoning. 



• Polyomavirus - This deadly vinos 

 disease may be identified with 

 use of the DNA piiobe test, from the 

 droppings of affeaed and shedding 

 birds. 



• Liver disease - Decreased func- 

 tion, inflammation of, or infection 

 or insult to the liver may be sug- 

 gested by a change of the drop- 

 pings (usually the urate portion, 

 which normally is white in col- 

 oration, is affected) Further diag- 

 nostic tests such as serum 

 chemistries or specific tests for 

 psittacosis may be warranted. 



• Psittacosis (Parrot Fever) - sever- 

 al diagnostic tests are available 

 that detect the presence of or reaa 

 to the presence of the causative 

 organism of psittacosis. Chlamydia 

 psittaci. 



Amy B. Worell, DVM Dipl. ABVP. 

 West Hills, CA. T^^ 



Conservation 

 and Aviculture 



by Rick Jordan 

 Kutzlown, Pennsylvania 



I Jv^hat is conservation? Webster 

 yr defines the word as "the act of 

 keeping from depletion." How docs 

 this relate to breeding birds in captiv- 

 ity? If you ask this question of an 

 aviculturist they will say they arc 

 breeding birds so they will exist when 

 the habitat has been totally destroyed 

 and no more specimens exist in the 

 wild. That certainly qualifies as "the 

 act of keeping from depletion." If you 

 ask a conservationist how aviculture 

 is related to conservation they will 

 usually tell you there is little correla- 

 tion between the two. So who is the 

 most correct? Are we, as aviculturists, 

 wasting our time or arc we actually 



doing some good for the future of 

 certain bird species? 



A controversy has arisen between 

 aviculture and "in the wild" conser- 

 vation. Suddenly there seems to be 

 competition between the captive 

 breeders and the field biologists who 

 both seek the same goal, to save birds 

 in the wild. This competition is not 

 helping the birds but, instead, ham- 

 pering captive breeding efforts for 

 many rare and endangered birds. 

 Birds that arc in need of assistance if 

 they are to survive in their natural 

 habitat for years to come. 



The relationship between captive 

 breeding and conservation in the wild 



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