Abstract
AFA PROPOSES CAPTIVE, SELF-SUSTAINING POPULATIONS
FOR SCARLET-CHESTED
AND TUROUISINE PARRAKEETS
On June 14, 1977 the American Federation of Aviculture, on behalf of its members, drafted a letter proposing that a captive, self-sustaining population be determined to exist for the Scarlet-chested and Turquoisine Parakeets.
In a recent survey of large breeders, the A.F.A. was able to locate at least 691 Scarlet-chested Parakeets held by at least 53 breeders, and at least 411 Turquoisines held by at least 45 breeders. At least a third of these birds were young reared in 1977.
It is recognized that the A.F.A. survey covers only the tip of the iceberg. It could be assumed there are two to four times as many individuals of each species as are documented. The survey will continue to be an ongoing project over the next couple of months.
A.F.A. will soon propose that captive, self-sustaining populations be determined for the Rothschild's Mynah and the Elliot's Pheasant. Breeders having information on these birds should notify A.F.A.
CAPTIVE, SELF-SUSTAINING POPULATION RULE APPROVED
The U.S.D.I.'s Fish and Wildlife Service has given its final stamp of approval to the proposal to provide determinations of captive, self-sustaining populations for certain endangered species in captivity in the U.S. On June 1, 1977 the final rulemaking appeared in the Federal Register - an event long awaited by aviculturists.
In addition to approving the new category, six species of pheasants were determined to have captive, self-sustaining populations: the Brown-eared, Mikado, Edward's, Bar-tailed, Swinhoe, and Palowan Peacock.
Under the new CSSP rule, breeders will be able to apply for a permit that will allow them to buy, sell, and ship inter-state any of the above mentioned species. Permit applications will be published in the Federal Register for a sixty day comment period, after which a permit will be issued for a period of two years. The permit may be renewed every two years. Permit holders will only be able to carry on these inter-state transactions with other permit holders, however, there is no limit on the number of transactions during the two year period. Permit holders will be required to keep records of their transactions.
The proposal to ease up on the restrictions concerning the inter-state shipping of endangered species, which are commonly bred in captivity, was first published in the Federal Register oh May 5, 1976. The American Game Bird Breeders' Co-operative Federation and its then President, Charles Sivelle, were responsible for the initiation of the proposal to determine CSSP status for the six species of pheasants. A seventh species, the White-eared, was proposed, but failed to make the list due to the smaller number of individual birds documented - only 48. The species with the fewest number of documented individuals to make the list was the Palowan Peacock Pheasant with 175.
The Nene Goose, Hawaiian Duck, Laysan Teal, and the Masked Bobwhite Quail were also proposed for CSSP status, but were not included. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declined to include any native North American species, reasoning that it would be too difficult to distinguish between wild caught and captive born specimens. It was felt that such difficulties might result in the unauthorized removal of individuals of those species from the wild.
Several species of mammals, proposed for CSSP determinations by the International Species Inventory System Committee of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, were also approved. These include the Jaguar, Leopard, Tiger, Black Lemur, and the Ring-tailed Lemur.
The A. F .A. congratulates Charles Sivelle and the American Game Bird Breeders, as well as the AAZP A for their contributions to the efforts to ease the endangered species situation. The acceptance of the CSSP concept is equivalent to the recognition of the important role captive propagation of wildlife plays in the conservation of our wildlife resources.