Daily Mail's report on Stafford

[chris]

you will not believe the pack of down right lies you ae going to read:mad:

From FF3 (paul fields)

THE AIR and ground are thick with dust from feathers. The acrid smell of bird faeces and urine is everywhere. The screeches from the cockatoos, toucans
and mynah birds compete with the frightened tweets of budgerigars, finches and kingfishers.
Standing in the middle of a pet market, I can hardly make my voice heard. The wretched cacophony of 11,000 imprisoned birds drowns out the voices of 6,000 humans queuing to buy them on a Sunday morning.
Alarmingly, many of the exotic creatures on sale here — in the very heart of England — look dull-eyed and sickly. Others have missing feathers or balding heads.
Suddenly, amid the sweat and heat, a grey parrot is pulled from a perch before being pushed into a black cotton bag by a trader. Still growling in alarm, it is sold for a fistful of £20 notes.
For this is a pet market in Stafford in the Midlands. I am here following a tip-off that somewhere, among the hundreds of cages, is a potentially deadly and illegal consignment of wild finches recently smuggled from Indonesia, where avian flu has already killed humans.
The 50 birds are believed to have been secretly trafficked to Britain in a tortuous journey via the West Indies and then Brussels.
In the Belgian capital they were put in the back of a small van to be driven here through the Channel Tunnel —just as though they had come from a bird-flu-free European pet shop.
Last week animal experts warned the Mail that just such dangerous under-the-counter dealing
A small girl ate crisps
just inches away from a
pile of bird droppings
in thousands upon thousands of colourful wild birds from the jungles and forests of South-East Asia might bring avian flu to Britain.
And yesterday their dire predictions were underlined after news that a parrot which died in quarantine at Heathrow had been diagnosed with the disease.
Julian Hughes, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' head of species conservation, had earlier put it succinctly: 'We think that the risk of avian flu being brought into the country through bird trading is far greater than the threat from water fowl migrating for the winter from places like Siberia.'
Yet despite this brutal warning from the country's leading bird charity, there is an unrelenting quest for such pets by bird fanciers. Furthermore, the Mail has discovered that new laws announced in the recent Queen's Speech will soon — unless the Government has a rethink — allow even more markets selling wild-caught and captive-bred birds.
The hideous practice was banned in Britain 20 years ago because of animal cruelty. But now, under what is ironically called the Animal Welfare Bill (which started its first reading in the Commons earlier this month), a new system of licensing such markets is to become law.
The Government has argued that this will stop the illegal and secret bartering of birds and other animals, which proliferates today.
As I investigated this deeply disturbing situation, I talked to experts in zoonotics (the transfer of lethal diseases to humans from animals) and consulted vets, ornithologists and various animal protection groups.
I also visited one of the few bird markets currently allowed to trade legally.
Despite the protests of animal charities, Stafford Borough Council granted the United Kingdom Parrot Society a 'pet shop' licence to sell as many as 13,000 birds earlier this month.
However, this noisy and smelly place was completely different from a High Street pet shop. Here was a walk into hell.
Visitors appeared oblivious to issues of cleanliness and good health. They turned up in coaches, minibuses and white vans carrying small cages and boxes in which to take away their feathered purchases. Despite a raft of desperate Government
measures designed to avert the arrival of bird flu, the market appeared largely unregulated.
A call from animal-charity workers at the market, begging trading standards officers to take immediate action over the disgusting conditions — and the resulting risk to human health — produced no response the whole of the day. In fact, the Mail's sources said it would take 100 vets to police such a huge event and check every single bird for visible telltale signs of avian flu such as lethargy and conjunctivitis.
I watched as children pressed their faces against the cages, sometimes poking their fingers through the wire bars. One small girl ate a packet of crisps on the floor just inches away from a pile of bird droppings. Nearby was a cardboard box with air holes, which had been dragged along the dirty ground. This was the temporary home for an African grey parrot waiting for its place on the wire rung of a trader's cage.
According to Clifford Warwick, a leading British consultant on zoonotics and public health: 'Three-quarters of the birds on sale at markets or fairs in this country have been captured wild in Asia or Africa.
'Many — up to half at some of the markets, I estimate — have been smuggled in illegally. It's hard to think of a more perfect place to spread avian influenza from infected birds to humans than a market like this place. It is a melting pot for disease.
Even in a Laboratory, it would be hard to recreate an environment with such a high potential for such a virus to move from animals to humans.
'These markets are often cheap off-loading points for sick birds which are already diseased or imported illegally. At the end of the day, the traders simply vanish. There is little documentation to say where the birds originate from. This is a highly-secretive world of back street dealing where money is the only thing that talks.'
Mr. Warwick's fears were endorsed by the Animal Protection Agency, which has campaigned to have all bird markets shut down.
Charity director Elaine Toland, said: 'This is a jumble sale: instead of old clothes and bric-a-brac, the stalls are stacked high with stressed, sick and even exotic animals.
'It is a threat to public because of the danger linked disease.'
Peter Robinson, an investigator for the RSPB guided us around the market went further. He said: “This market should be stopped only because of the terrible to the birds, but because danger to human health”.
'A number of the creatures will have been trapped in the wild come from the very parts world where avian flu is already spreading from birds to h and killing both.' According Greg Glendell, a parrot behaviourist and director of the charity BirdsFirst, most of these bird markets are operating outside the law.
A handful of others, such as the Parrot Society event, apply for pet-shop licences in order to win council permission to trade.

[chris]

A spokesman for the Society said earlier this week he believed there was no danger in holding such events. He added: 'There were five vets at the show and Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) officials there too.
'We feel that bird flu, if it gets to this island, will be brought by migrating wildfowl and not an exotic bird bought abroad which conies here in a cage.'
Yet, says Mr Glendell: 'Every week, dozens of illegal bird markets and auctions are taking place. Among those birds on sale are those caught in the wild which have typically been captured recently from tropical countries and smuggled here to be sold as pets.
'Most of these lovely creatures die before they ever reach Britain. Those who make it alive suffer terribly as they are dragged around the sales by some itinerant trader trying to make a quick buck.
'I've seen birds with their wings bleeding after having been pulled
'Those who make it
alive are dragged
round the sales'
about on the long journey, and other birds so exhausted that they cannot stand up in their cages.
'The most tragic sounds come from the parrots, which scream or growl in sheer terror if anyone approaches them. Just a few weeks ago, they were living in the wild.'
Since the threat of bird flu emerged two years ago, Defra — and its EU counterparts — have banned the import of live birds into Europe from ten Asian countries. But the smugglers are clever.
'They get around this prohibition by bringing in the exotic birds to Europe via a country such as Senegal in northern Africa, where the ban doesn't apply,' said Mr Glendell. 'These smugglers are prepared to do anything to make money and don't care about the suffering of the birds.'
This week customs officials started an offensive to stop such trafficking of birds into Heathrow airport. Sniffer dogs check travellers' boxes and suitcases for birds.
They will no doubt claim that yesterday's discovery proves their system is working. But as Nell Forbes, one of the country's most respected bird vets, told the Mail: 'It takes only one diseased animal to bring bird flu here.'
He warned that any animal market even a small informal event in a scout hut or a school gym could bring in bird flu.
'The nightmare scenario is that a bird might be illegally imported from a country carrying the virus.
'It is then brought to a market and gives the infection to other birds. Very soon, that virus will spread and we will end up slaughtering every chicken while, possibly, humans could die of the disease.
'It's simply madness to have a hall filled with birds, some of whom have potentially fatal infections to humans, where the public are allowed to just walk in. The places are cauldrons of infection.'
Back at the market at Stafford shire county showground, I saw rare star finches on sale at several traders' counters. The tiny birds — crowded together in cages — were soon disappearing like hot cakes at the knockdown price of £30 a pair.
Adults and children carried them off in excruciatingly small cardboard containers (handed out free by the Parrot Society) for a lifetime in a cage or aviary.
I asked one hard-faced trader where he got his finches. He snapped back that they were from Belgium. He may have been telling me the truth.
But as yesterday's chilling development emphasises, if just one bird harbouring the killer avian flu virus was successfully smuggled in, the risk to humans is too frightening to contemplate.
• Additional research: Clemmie Lever


please send your replies to:

letters@dailymail.co.uk

Chris:mad: :mad: :mad:

[laurab]

Unbelievable!! :mad:

I hope that those of you that were present at the show will respond to the article ;-)

[chris]

Hi Laura,

i wasn't present but i've responded anyway if only to point out that there were only 2 bird per cage for any one cage (not crammed as it says in the report) and that the report is unfairly biased against the birdkeeper by only interviewing anti bird keeping organisations and members... and a few other things.

i think everyone should reply whether present or not, we all know people who went and can vouch for the excellence of the show, and we can all comment on GG, ET and Neil Forbes and the APA and there campaigns against us bird keepers. the report is like a big anti recruitment poster:shock:

Chris

[PAUL HEARN]

I will respond as soon as I calm down enough, everything in the articles are out and out lies.
What I don't understand is how these lies are allowed to be printed, I think the Mail should be fined along with the sources of their misinformation!!

[Gary]

its unbelievable how this can be printed,
all these lies, then it goes on to say about star finches being rare and at the knockdown price of 30 quid. that just shows home much research

[Waxbillman]

i am seriously ****** off about this complete load of crap that they have printed i have e-mailed them just now, this is what i put:


i am disgusted at the article you have recently printed about the Stafford bird sale,

how dare you write such complete and utter rubbish, the whole lot of it from top to bottom was complete and utter lies. the intervewee's Greg Glendall and Elaine Toland, should not be allowed to speak, they are filth, and animal activists, nothing of what they said was correct.
This bird show was held completely, legally and was monitored throughout the whole day by a team of vets and RSPCA inspectors, if there was any cruelity at all they would have found and taken actions.
There wasnt any cruelity the majority of the birds was sold by breeders, and British bred, none was ill or dead, and they all stuck to the two bird per cage rule.
The views of the Animal activists should not be printed with the correct response, from people who know what they are doing.
by printing this filth you have fuelled the Animal activist's fire, they are determined to stop bird keeping, they don't care about welfare they are in it for war, you are printed article done by people who rob graves of reletives to animal breeders, and its not on at all.
The press all too quickly jump on top of such stories from the animals rights, giving them support. so when will you support us descent law abiding citizans by printing truthful articles?
please if your paper has any credibility whatsoever, get interviewing the organisers, the Parrot society, the chairman is Cliff Wright, and ask also us bird keepers who will give you a truthful story, not one that is a complete lie.

thanks

Matthew

[Pyxel]

Nice one Matthew, i suggest everybody should email them, i have just emailed them now. We should bombard them with emails expressing our anger, this is a huge blow for us and its time to stand up.

[chris]

Hi Pyxel,

i agree, if all birdkeepers e-mailed or wrote letters tonight then the daily mail will have a very nasty suprise in the morning and may think twice before they print such complete and utter crap again

matthew, thanks for pointing out the star finches as being 'rare':neutral: i forgot to mention that in my E-mail but covered the rest

Chris:wink:

[Gary]

Press Complaints Commission
www.pcc.org.uk

[Waxbillman]

i have also sent a very large complaint to the PCC, so hopefully the problems will be sorted out soon,

Chris

i think it was Paul or someone who said about the Star finches not me, though it was a very good point to make.

Matthew

[laurab]

I will write my response tomorrow; you are right Matthew, we must ALL show a united front, and reply en mass (I think that's French) ;-)

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello all,

My letter of complaint will be sent tomorrow too, when I have time to edit and check out any mistakes made.
In my opinion this issue needs to be treated with care, we cannot afford to send off an angry response containing mistakes of any kind!

It seems the Media have an open season on any given subject, but in this case blatant lies have been published and they need to be corrected!

The AR movement have gone too far on this one, it is time that they pay for their blatent lies!!

Paul.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Gary,

Thank you for providing the link for the Press Complaints Commission.

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

The more i read the article the more angry i get,

if this country gets the deadly strain of flu, i wish that all these nutters are the first to contract it!!

Matthew

[chris]

Hi all,

i've got a copy of the article in the daily mail now so i will be writing a letter and posting it tommorrow to the PCC as it is in breach of the press code of practice by not giving accurate information. i have already send a few e-mails but have only just found the article in the paper so i'll do a better letter tomorrow.

Chris:wink:

[chris]

Hi all,

i've finally got round to writing a complaint to send to the PCC, if you got about an hour to spare to read it then be my guest:lol: seriously, this has got to have taken a good few hours to write up:|


24/10/05


Dear Sir/Madam,

i am writing in complaint of the Daily Mail's recent article titled "Is This How Bird Flu Will Hit Britain" By Sue Reid, Saturday 22nd October 2005. I am certain that this Article is in complete violation of the Press Code of Conduct as it's accuracy is none existent - basically the article is lies and twisted truths. I have enclosed a copy of the article as published in the Daily Mail.

The Press Code of Conduct states:



"Accuracy

i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

ii) A significant inaccuracy, mis-leading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published.

iii) The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

iv) A publication must report fairly and accurately the outcome of an action for defamation to which it has been a party, unless an agreed settlement states otherwise, or an agreed statement is published."


The opening sentence in the title is the first source of inaccuracy and lies: " Captured in the wild and smuggled thousands of miles to be sold in filthy backstreet markets". Firstly i would like to point out that the trade in wild caught birds is completely legal and therefore the birds are not 'smuggled' at all as this would suggest they are illegally brought into the country. The fact is is that these birds are shipped in through all the right channels, quarantined, and screened for disease before they are even allowed out to shops, traders and sale days such as the PSUK Stafford Show reviewed in the article. The mention of backstreet markets is an insult to the societies and clubs that organise and run such events. These events are held in large halls... hardly a 'backstreet market'. Strict rules are in place to ensure the welfare of birds on sale, all birds are inspected before the show/sale begins by vets and the RSPCA. All and any birds that show signs of stress, illness or have feathers missing are removed from the event and the breeder/trader dealt with by the organisers. So the suggestion that conditions are 'Filthy' as stated in the title is utter rubish and lies and couldn't be further from the truth.

In the First paragraph, the reporter states: "the air and ground are thick with dust from feathers. The acrid smell of bird faeces and urine is everywhere". This is yet more evidence of lies and exageration by the reporter. In reality the floor was clean and for dust to build up in the quantities mentioned, and to 'thicken the air', would take weeks and thousands of birds. However, no birds were allowed into the hall until 8am on the morning of the sale so it is impossible for such conditions to occur. The air at the show was very much clean and there was no smell of faeces (may i also point out that bird faeces are almost completely odourless). The idea of the air smelling of bird urine is yet another lie concocted by this reporter, birds don't urinate - FACT. Any water in a bird system comes out in the feaces. So how the air is meant to smell of something that doesn't even exist god only knows! Clearly the reporter hasn't taken any time to do her research on birds and bird show rules and regulations and should never have been allowed to write an article on such an event.

Sue goes on to write " Alarmingly, many of the exotic creatures on sale here - in the very heart of England - look dull-eyed and sickly. Others have missing feathers and balding heads". Again, this is yet another outright lie and an excellent example of how Sue is misleading the public to gain support against such events. As already mentioned, all birds at the show were checked by a vet or the RSPCA before the event started and all ill, stressed, bald birds were removed from the show. No birds on sale remotely resemble Sue's description and shes is begining to sound increasingly like an Animal Rights campaigner out to damage the hobby of keeping birds and fool the public into supporting such Animal Rights groups. Surely a professional reporter shouldn't be allowed to spread such twisted facts and downright lies about a legitimate event and pastime?

She then poorly describes the sale of an African Grey parrot at the event: "Suddenly, amid the sweat and heat, a grey parrot is pulled from a perch before being pushed into a black cotton bag by a trader. Still growling in alarm, it is sold for a fistfull of £20 notes". May i point out that even if this were true, the idea is rediculous as an African Grey parrot is more than capable of biting through such a 'bag', not only that but selling like this is illegal. All birds sold at the event are placed into carry cages and taken home by the buyer. As for a fistfull of £20 notes, this is just another example of twisting the truth to make the event sound like a chapter from a horror story. Yes, the customer probably did pay in £20 notes, parrots aren't cheap! but the idea of a fistfull is nonesense as surely someone would have to count out the notes first before handing them over? At the start of the sentence there is mention of the 'sweat and heat'. i would like to point out that not only are birds physically incapable of sweating, but the entire hall would have been well ventilated and anyone that attended the event can tell you that is was far from a hot and sweaty atmosphere.

In Paragraphs 5-6, Sue makes wild claims that she has been tipped off about 50 birds being imported illegally on sale at the show. Not only that, but they have been transported "via the west indies and then brussels". There has been and still is a complete ban on any birds being exported/imported from Asia for many years due to the risk of introducing Bird Flu. For 50 birds to be exported from Asia, to the West Indies, and then finally Brussels would cost thousands of pounds and would simply not be worth it unless the trader wishes to make a loss of a few thousand pounds. Any birds imported this way would cost hundreds of pounds more than any legally imported of captive bred bird, and this would bevery obvious to any RSPCA inspector or event organiser. It seems to me that Sue knows suprisingly little about the import of birds from other countries to Britian, and yet suprisingly a lot about how these birds 'aparently' were smuggled in. One would think that she even had something to do with inventing such a story, only to tip herself off and write an article on such tosh.

Yet another rediculous claim by Sue: "A small girl ate crisps just inches away from a pile of droppings". Yet again, this in not only impossible but yet another total lie about the PSUK Stafford Show. There were ropes/barriers around stands to keep people at a distance from the birds to prevent stress in the birds on sale. This would mean the girl, if she isn't just another figment of Sue's imagination, would be feet, not inches away from such a pile of droppings. Even the claim of droppings on the floor is highly unlikely as the birds in question would have to literally shoot it out of the cages onto the floor!

Sue misinforms the public about the Animal Welfare bill and how Organised bird sales have been illegal for over 20 years. The Animal Welfare bill did place a ban on pet fairs and markets which is completely ture. We now no longer see the appaling conditions present in sales on street markets. However the Bill did not outlaw Private events such as the PSUK Stafford Show, which is completely legal and held inside large halls. The confusion between pet markets/fairs, and private one day events has been used by Animal Rights groups for there own gain, to profit out of there campaigns against completely legal events, and to missinform the public and gain support for there own ends, very much like Sue is doing in here article.

There is yet more missinformation where Sue describes an African Grey parrot in a box: "Nearby was a cardboard box with air holes which had been dragged along the dirty ground. This was the temporary home for an African Grey Parrot". Again, yet another wild tale by miss Reid. Any parrot or similar species would chew through a cardboard box in no time at all so a trader is hardly likely to house a bird in such a box only to lose it, and £500+ of his money!

Sue then starts to interview so called 'experts' who have an interest in destroying the entire bird keeping hobby. According to Clifford Warwick : three-quarters of the birds on sale at markets of fairs in this country have been captured wild in Asia or Africa". A perfect example of how so called experts abuse there position in support of the Animal Rights cause. Firstly, this estimate is just that, an estimate and not fact. Secondly, this so called estimate may have been true for 20 years ago, but it is way way off in modern times. Over half the birds on sale at the PSUK Stafford Show are captive bred by bird keepers and breeders in this country alone. The remaining percentage will be divided between captive bred birds imported form Europe, and the minority are wild caught birds from Africa. No birds whatsoever that have been caught wild in Asia, or captive bred in Asia could possibly have been on sale at the event, as mentioned many times there is an import ban on such infected countries. many birds on sale will not have been carrying closed rings on their legs, but there are many many reasons for why this could be and it doesn't make the birds wild caught. many captive bred birds reject chicks that carry a ring, and so breeders chose not to take such a risk.

[chris]

Sue wries how Mr warwick's claims are endorsed by the Animal Protection Agency (APA). This just about says it all for this report, the APA are an Animal Rights Company who campaign against bird shows and sale days, and those of other animals. They also wish to see an end to the trade in birds, which means they want an end to the entire bird keeping hobby. Sue is clearly only interviewing those who have an interest in ending by any means neccessary legitimate bird shows. This gives the public an unfair one sided opinion and insites fear and hate of bird keepers who could possibly introduce Avian Influenza, if you believe such claims that is.

"Charity Director Elain Toland" is yet another lie, and only one which an Animal Rights activist would give. Elaine Toland is NOT a charity director, she runs the company know as the Animal Protection Agency. This is an Animal Rights company that makes profit out of it's campaigns against vunerable targets such as birdkeepers and bird shows. Since starting such campaigns there profits have greatly increased and so they continue to prey on the weak. It is the Animal Rights activists who dug up the body of a grandmother several months ago in there campaign against a guinea pig farm, it is the animal rights activists who attack workers of various companies who deal with animal experiments etc. it is the animal rights activist who send letter bombs to worker's homes, strips the paint off their car, and causes them to live in fear. Yet, we see this reporter gaining support for the Animal Rights movement through abuse of her position as a reporter and through blatant lies and her own opinions in this article. Surely this woman should not be allowed to continue with these lies, and the Daily Mail should face up to what it has published?

Sue continues to report Animal Rights members, Such as Mr Greg Glendell. Mr Glendell is a self-appointed parrot behaviourist, there is no such job and indeed no such qualifications. He even makes a living out of the very people he despises so much, the bird keeper. Mr Glendell is the director of yet another animal rights company, Birds First, who not suprisingly works in the same way as the APA and has the same goals and methods. Sue has continually lied throughout this report, and repeatedly lied about so called animal 'charities' that are in reality companies that hide behind legitimate animal welfare (not rights) charities. Animal Rights groups take on the form of companies as they cannot legally achieve there goals as a charity, thus why we have such companies as the APA and Birds First.

Sue then gets back to her report on the PSUK Show. "Back at the market at Staffordshire county showground, i saw rare start finches for sale on several traders counters". This statement is again missleading and a lie. Star Finches are far from rare! they originate from Australia who have banned all imports of birds for over 40 years. The star finches we see for sale today are all captive bred decendants of the original imports all those years ago, and for an apparently rare bird, demand a very low price! Yet again, Sue has shown a complete lack of knowledge on the birdkeeping hobby and has clearly done no research into such birds.

Finally, Sue mentions how birds are crammed together in tiny cages: "the tiny birds - crowded together in cages - were soon disappearing like hot cakes at the knockdown price of £30 a pair". Firstly the PSUK have a rule that no more than 2 birds can be housed in any one cage while on show/sale. So these birds cannot possibly be 'crammed' together and will certainly have had freedom of movement. The idea of £30 being a knockdown price is rediculous, this is the average price for such birds. Clearly Sue has put this comment in the back up her wild claims about the birds being aparently 'rare'. She also has the nerve to imply that these birds are wild caught when asking the seller a question : "he snapped back that they wer from Belgium. He may have been telling me the truth". It is completely reasonable to import birds from Belgium as the Europeans are far more skilled breeders than most of those in the UK. When Sue says that he 'May' have been telling the truth, she is clearly trying to imply that all bird traders deal only wild caught birds, and that they are all liers. The only Lies in the report are those of Greg Glendell, Elain Toland, Sue Reid and the other Animal Rights fanatics interviewed.

I do hope i never read such lies about my hobby again, and if the Daily Mail ever do want to cover the PSUK show and related events in the future, they may wish to consider giving an unbiased report that doesn't come from the dreamworld of Sue Reid, and more importantly, one that contains facts, and not the lies i have pointed out in this letter. I am certain that this letter will be only one of hundreds, even thousands. Maybe the Daily Mail will consider not slandering the name of the PSUK and every other legitimate bird keeper, breeder, and trader throughout the country.



your sincerely

Christopher Dunn

[PAUL HEARN]

Good on ya Chris,

No punches held there mate!

A great letter, well written and I hope to read the reply very soon!

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

expept a bog standard reply from Mr Simpson, he replied to everyone and said the very same thing.:-x

thats how much they care, so i e-mail him back and said: -


thanks Mr Simpson


However tell me this, if you cared about my e-mail to you and the many others on this subject why exactley have you sent a word-for-word copy to us all.

Are we not worthy of a personal and different response

and What actions will you be taking to regarding the article that breached code 1, accuracy?

thanks again

Matthew

[chris]

Hi matthew,

i have already recieved a reply from Andy Simpson for the letter i have sent to the Daily mail, and as far as i know it's identical to everyone else's reply. this letter isn't going to the daily mail, but the Press Complaint Commision, who should deal with the problem and give the daily mail editor a large pile of paper work to do, along with damaging their reputation at the same time.

Chris:wink:

[Gary]

perhaps then, these responces etccould be sent to people that seem to care, i.e taken from pauls post Sunday Mirror October 2nd, by Carole Mallone, Animal Lovers Are So Beastly.
http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=363

perhaps she would be interested in some of it, maybe not, maybe iam going mad.

[Waxbillman]

oh, right, of course, i hope they will do something about it.

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Good point Gary,

Nice one mate, I didn't think of that avenue either, DOH.

This reminds me of another idea, how about sending a factual account of the Stafford Bird Sale to another News Paper who are interested in printing the truth and shaming the Mail into publishing the real story also?

Paul.

[Gary]

just what i was thinking paul, nice one

[chris]

Paul,

that's a great idea but would they publish it? i would write one myself but since i didn't go then that's not a possibility

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Gary and Chris,

Since I did attend the Stafford Bird Sale then maybe another News Paper would be interested in printing a factual report of the event?
But I'm even more certain that another publication would be far more interested in letting the public know the facts from the organisors of the event.

This is where I invite Cliff Wright (of the Parrot Society) to offer a factual report of the event!!

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

great idea Paul

go for it.

Matthew

[Gary]

"oh, right, of course, i hope they will do something about it." ?????????/

sounds the way to go, though Paul.

[chris]

Hi all,

if your interested in defending our hobby, Softbillman on FF3 has got something going on so i suggest anyone with an interest in taking the fight to a new level contacts him Via PM on FF3. It could possibly be the birth of a pro active bird group, but i know it's definately got somthing to do with kicking some anti @r5$

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hey Chris

thats for that, i will definately be PMin him, about time something like this was started.

Matthew