4/17/2024 0 Comments Gang gang cockatoo taxonomyThe largest avicultural convention of this year in India (c) Rohit Sharma Breeders across the globe must become internet savvy and must respond to questions, no matter how basic they are, because the seed has been planted in the person and must be nourished with information for it to grow. These are the future breeders, as we all know that the passion for bird keeping starts with one individual and then expands. Some come from people who keep a Cockatiel or a Budgerigar. Of course! If we aviculturists want the next generation of breeders to be passionate, we must willingly share our knowledge. Do older breeders play an important role in this? They all gained much of their information through their computers. During the day I chatted with many of these individuals. As an example, during the recent ASI (Avian Society of India Conference) in Bangalore, I asked the hundreds of people in attendance to raise their hands if they had communicated with me via messages. As I said earlier, I believe the new generation is less interested in attending bird clubs and more interested in obtaining answers to their questions via the media. Martin Papac and yourself are evidence that the hobby can attract the next generation. I believe that young people are getting involved. Do you agree? Are you afraid that this hobby will never be as popular as it used to be in the past? ![]() If we look at regular age of aviculturists in countries of western Europe, USA or Australia, there are not many young people involved. Tony with the tame Pesquet’s Parrot (c) David Monroger It is analogous to adopting a child that never goes beyond 5 years of age. The new pet owner must also understand that bird ownership is a long term commitment. The future pet must learn that it is a parrot first and not an attachment of their owners-a feathered human as I like to call them. If breeders in Europe can learn from our mistakes, then they should understand that a future pet requires effort, time and training. Europe does not yet have this huge pet market, but most trends flow from the USA to the EU and I suspect that in the coming decades breeders across Europe will experience a growing demand from the pet trade. It is already evident in China, India, Pakistan, Egypt and many other countries. ![]() I see this demand as continuing for many years. I think it is safe to speak for US breeders when I state that there are probably 10 buyers for every chick bred this year. In the future, I see huge growth in the pet market. Many older breeders are still not computer savvy and thus do not experience this evolution of the hobby, which has entered to electronic era. I also get an average of 30 questions daily from across the world. Many tell me that the time they would devote to attending a club meeting they dedicate to their birds. Whenever I lecture, hundreds of people show up. This fact leaves many to believe that there is no interest. ![]() Many newcomers rely on the internet for information, rather than visiting bird clubs to hear speakers. In the USA, Europe and the rest of the world the hobby is evolving.
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