Abstract
When we received a phone call from Sheldon Dingle, managing editor of the AFA Watchbird, regarding a letter criticizing our column which he wanted to publish, we responded "certainly," as we always welcome intelligent opposing viewpoints. However, when we read the letter published in the November/December 1997 issue, we were appalled and shocked, as it certainly fell far below the usual high standards of the AF A.
Obviously, the letter writer, Ms.
Dalrymple, does not know us nor what we are all about for she has completely misunderstood our intent. In her letter she is evidently primarily concerned with character assassination rather than expressing an opposing point of view. She has, unfortunately, resorted to base name-calling, thereby thoroughly embarrassing herself. Anyone who reads our column knows we have never engaged in personal, hurtful attacks.
She claims we are newcomers, yet she was given, with our permission, a pre-publication copy of our "Conan the Aviculturist" article which clearly states we have been involved in aviculture for 10 years. This hardly makes us beginners nor does the label "newcomers" correctly convey the intensity of our dedication to our goal of advancing aviculture through sharing our practical experiences.
Here we must apologize to our friends and colleagues worldwide, who have sterling reputations, but whom Ms. Dalrymple has also defamed. These include Dr. Luis Baptista of the California Academy of Sciences, Gunter Enderle of Nekton in Germany, Howard Robinson of the Estrildian in England, Mike Fidler of the Australian Finch Society in the UK, and well known finch researcher and author, Robin Restall, perhaps the
world's foremost authority on mannikins, Josef Lindholm, III, of the Fort Worth Zoo, Jayne Yantz, Bird Talk columnist, Dale Thompson, our editorin-chief, and others too numerous to list due to deadline restrictions. All of these fine, dedicated people, and the reputation of the AFA Watchbird itself, have been degraded to the level of "those eager to impress" and who "eagerly pay well for less than legal birds" by Ms. Dalrymple in her letter. We know not to whom Ms. Dalrymple refers, but they are certainly not among our friends or colleagues.
To call us "snake handlers" is preposterous as we have never been such nor do we even like snakes. Our interest lies with the Chelonians (turtles) and the amphibians - toads, frogs, and salamanders.
Ms. Dalrymple's letter states she has been in aviculture for much longer than 10 years, yet she does not mention what estrildids she keeps and breeds. Her defense of the shows leads us to surmise that she most likely breeds the Australian finches and shows for self-gratification since the future of Australian finches in aviculture is not in doubt. We and many of our colleagues specialize in the breeding of African and Indonesian finches whose future is in jeopardy, even in the wild. Her condemnation of us falls back on patriotism as her final defense, and, as Patrick Henry said, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." If she would correct her myopic thinking, it would be clear to her that we were the first to warn American aviculturists of the "junk" birds entering the country, namely, the hybrid parrot finches - Mindanaos, Peale's, and Blue-breasteds - from breeders and exporters in Belgium, Holland, and Denmark.
As we've stated before, we do not endorse the "show mentality" as it
exists in this country, nor have we ever entered any of our birds in the shows. In many other countries the shows exist to encourage and promote better breeding for the ultimate benefit of the birds themselves. We share this belief that the shows should exist for the birds, not the birds for the shows.
Personally, it sickens and disgusts us to be lowered to the level of having to defend ourselves and our colleagues against such a vicious, uninformed, and unjustified attack. But since we seem to have been put in such a position, here are some of our qualifications for writing this column. • 10 AVY Awards, eight for U.S. first breedings of various estrildid finches, and two for best-written article of the year.
• Finch breeding videos, now enjoying international distribution which have received critical acclaim in this country and favorable reviews worldwide.
• Consultants on finches to the Taxon Advisory Group of American Zoos.
• Best Overseas Breeder A ward of 1990 from the Australian Finch Society in Great Britain.
• Members of RADS (Rare and Difficult Species) advisory group of the Australian Finch Society.
• Asked to write a book on estrildid finches by a publisher in the U.S.
If Ms. Dalrymple or anyone else feels more qualified to write on estrildid finches, please let us know and we'll gladly hand over the reins. Our first and foremost concern has always been the birds - not to sway in the winds of political correctness. To quote Nietzsche in Conan the Barbarian, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
After all, Ms. Dalrymple obviously misunderstood our intention in criticizing American aviculture. We mean not to destroy it, but to strengthen it.