Running head: THE DANGERS OF DOMESTICATION AMONG AVIANS

The Dangers of Domestication among Avians

Samuel Grey
Waxahachie Global High School
12 April 2016

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Table of Contents
Abstract...3
Introduction.4
Survival of the Fittest....4
Figure 1: Survival Graph......4
Forms of Domestication...5
Domestication of Pets..........5
Figure 2: Population Graph.....5
Physical Effects.....6
The Will to Survive....6
Captive Problems......7
History.....7
Conclusion..7
Appendix.....9
References10

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Abstract
Birds greatest among other animals were not meant to be domesticated, yet
humanity has seen fit to put them in captivity as if it were the correct path to take.
Because birds are so active and wild, domesticating them for personal entertainment
hurts them physically (Campellone, 2014) and mentally, causing them to have
decreased happiness and lifespan. Birds are far more likely to survive if they are
allowed to guide their own lives rather than if people decide they should correct their
behavior (Zweiger, 2015). Dependency is possibly the largest issue, because instinct is
not easily learned, but can be very quickly be forgotten (London, 1903).

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Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright,
their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed
them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to
imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much
more drab and empty for their departure (King, 1983). In the novel, Rita Hayworth and
Shawshank Redemption, Steven King admits that though we may enjoy their company,
birds are not meant to be captured and domesticated but should be allowed to fly free
(King, 1983). Many people keep birds without knowing that they are causing them to
lose their instincts, becoming harmful to the bird (Britannica, 2008). Birds are intelligent
begin to lose the intelligence needed to survive in the wild (London, 1903).

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Charles Darwin declared, It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor
the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change (Darwin, 1859). Figure 1
shows that among several species, birds
have been relatively successful in living in
the wild. Though this chart and Darwins
theory seem to support the idea of the
survival of the fittest, reality contradicts it
(Britannica, 2008). This chart shows how
the survival rate if bird species is very high
Figure 1 (Nature,
2013)

in the wild. This chart does not apply while

the birds in the survey live in captivity. Birds may thrive while living in the wild, but the
birds that are domesticated and locked in a cage commonly become rapidly dumb,
dependent, and destructive to both themselves and their environment (Britannica,
2008). Because of all the forced changes that humans have forced upon the birds in
domestication, their survival instincts make them unable to correctly adapt and
eventually become dependent on humans, which almost always leads to upsetting
behavior to both the bird and the owner (Mercola, 2011).
Domestication can have several forms, all of which prove harmful to the animal in
captivity. Domestication can be caged or cageless, intentional or not, and can be easy
to do without thinking. Feeding an animal is one example of unintentional domestication,
where the person doesnt even have to own the animal to begin to domesticate it (World
Transformation Movement, 1998). Strays are feral and wild, but when they begin to rely
on humans for their food and water, they begin to lose valuable survival instincts such

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as hunting and foraging (London, 1903). This reliance of an animal upon a human
cannot easily be reversed, especially in birds. Once the animals food source
disappears, it is forced to fend for itself: a more difficult task than before its
domestication (Britannica, 2008). Many of these creatures will die because
domestication is so much harder to abandon than their learned behavior in the wild
(London, 1903).
Unknown to many, birds are not a common pet, at least not as common as cats,
dogs, or fish. According to the chart in figure 2,
birds make up a very small number of all pets,
which reflects how they were not meant to be
domesticated. In the chart, freshwater fish are
the most domesticated because of their
dependence on a resource humans have
Figure 2 (American Pet Products
abundant
access to: fresh water. Dogs and cats have been domesticated for so long
Association, 2011)

that they have become more easily adapted to live among human masters, but animals
such as exotic birds and saltwater creatures have not had a great deal of human
intervention until recently. This sudden interest in humans interfering with the habitats of
the ocean and the sky have forced animals that were once free as a bird have caused
many of them to lose their survival instincts very rapidly (London, 1903). These
creatures, especially birds, have had trouble adapting to domestication and coexisting
with humans in a human environment.
Animals in captivity often lose their physical ability during their domestication
(Mercola, 2011). This affects birds more often than other animals because wild birds rely

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on their ability to fly for survival, while those in captivity fly much less than they should.
This lack of exercise is a powerful deciding factor in the theory of the survival of the
fittest (Darwin, 1859), but the greater danger is of forgetting a function because of lack
of use. The term disuse atrophy was coined to show that organisms lose functionality
of certain muscles if they are not used enough (Campellone, 2014), and this is exactly
what happens to these birds. If a bird in captivity does not get enough flying exercise, as
is often the case, their wing muscles become unused to any flying work (NASA, 2015).
Because their wings are not strong enough and the bird has lost its muscle memory,
flying becomes impossible unless they are rehabilitated in a lengthy and difficult process
(NASA, 2015).
Another concept of living affected by the domestication of bird species is the will
to survive. Typically, an animal, humans included, will have a stronger will to survive if
they have something to live for (Britannica, 2008). To keep an animal enclosed is to take
away the freedom it lived for, so the animal would be less willing to fight to stay alive if a
possibly fatal situation presented itself. This can be caused by many parts of being in
captivity, but is commonly an effect of the enclosure itself reducing their exercise and
happiness.
A general fact is that the majority of birds live much longer in the wild than do the
domesticated ones, their lifespan depending on the type of bird its living conditions
(Zweiger, 2015). Some of the main causes of the deaths of the captive creatures are
obesity, stress, food habits, and hygiene deficiencies (Mercola, 2011). Birds that are
domesticated rarely get the amount of exercise a free bird does, which causes problems
in a similar way to humans. Stress related to lack of exercise leads to feather plucking

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and other forms of self-mutilation, decreasing the birds lifespan by a significant amount
(Zweiger, 2015). Owners do not always feed their birds correct amounts and types of
food, which can lead to obesity or weakness as well as other dietary problems that the
bird would never experience in the without human intervention. Birds are relatively clean
animals. If the owner does not clean up after a caged bird correctly, the bird can suffer
from expired food and feces-interaction diseases. All of the birds vulnerabilities become
far more difficult to avoid when they are not the one caring for themselves (Zweiger,
2015).
Animal domestication has been common since people discovered animals.
Whether for companionship or for other reasons, humans have always impeded on the
natural instincts of many creatures. Birds above most other species require freedom
from human intervention because of their many unique features. Although human
instinct calls for some form of companionship, the instinct of birds is to avoid human
contact in order to survive. By following human instinct, humans ruin the natural
instincts of the avian wildlife.
In conclusion, bird species were never meant to be domesticated. Domesticating
any animal is harmful to both the creature and the environment, and is a selfish part of
human socialization. Keeping a bird in captivity can drive them to insanity, selfmutilation, obesity, and ensures that the bird will be unable to be returned to the wild,
because their survival instincts have been altered. Domestication has always been a
major cause of physical defects, higher extinction rates, and loss of survival instincts. To
properly preserve bird life to enjoy for the future, the best action for humanity to take is
no action.

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Appendix
Nearly all types of birds need a lot of exercise in the areas of flying, perching,
and running, but human domestication prevents some of these bird species from getting
Fig.
3

the proper exercise. Certain birds such as the

ostrich cannot fly at all, while certain migratory
birds like the Alpine Swift in figure three stay in
continuous flight for up to six months (Stromberg,
2013). Even if the bird cannot fly, it will be a fast
runner or swimmer to survive encounters with

predators.
Disuse atrophy is common in humans, but can also be found in other animals.
Disuse atrophy is the breaking down of muscle that has not been used in so long that
you no longer need it (Campellone, 2014). This is most common in humans who are
either lazy or have spent time in space (NASA, 2015), but is far more detrimental to
birds than any other species. Without proper exercise, birds may lose use of their wings,
impairing their survival ability and instincts. Without these abilities, the bird becomes
overly reliant on humans and can become very obese because of the lack of its
normally strenuous exercise.

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References

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Products Association, APPA. APPA. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from
http://www.americanpetproducts.org/
Britannica, E. (2008, January 4). Birds are Not Domesticated Animals (National Bird
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Campellone, J. (2014). Muscle Atrophy. U.S. Library of Medicine, Division of
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