This month I feel it important to reprint a condensed version of a speech made by Jan Beatrous - with her blessing - to the American Federation of Aviculture. It would be wise for all bird owners to glance over the facts and suggestions contained in this article.

Thomas L. Goldsmith DVM MS

AVIARY SECURITY AND THEFT PROTECTION

The purpose of this article is to increase awareness to the fact that bird theft has become a very real threat, and to offer suggestions s to how professional aviculturists hobbyist, pet shop owners and private owners can protect their pets and livelihoods.

KNOWING YOUR THIEF

There are three kinds of bird thieves:

1. Organized Thieves: skilled at grabbing birds and adept at entering properties unnoticed, these persons are capable of wiping out entire breeding collections in one night. These thieves are the most dangerous, affecting all aspects of aviculture.
2. Juvenile/Gang Thieves: these may be but not limited to, one-time thefts. These thieves are responsible for "grab and runs" in pet shops, and removing birds from private owners inside or outside the house.
3. The Mama, Papa and Baby Thieves: this group appears innocently in pet shops or breeder properties, owners are distracted, precipitating "bird walk outs".

METHODS OF THEFT

• Firearms - thieves may or may not come armed.
• Vehicles - thieves are picked up and dropped off leaving no visible signs of an escape vehicle. Escapes are quick with owners chasing on foot. More than one vehicle may be used.
• Aliases - same thief, two different names have been used, to confuse or throw off breeders who are networking in trying to determine who thieves are.
• Depending on the crime as many, or as few as, four people may be used: two to catch one to watch and one to drive. Men, women, juveniles and young children are all involved in the theft of birds.
• Thieves sell stolen birds to pet shops and flea markets. Airports are used to move stolen birds after a theft.

THE AVIARY AND YOUR PROPERTY

RECORDS or pair information should not be posted on the back of nest boxes or cages. Having any records visibly attached can only reveal the prolific pairs to visitors or a visiting thief.

LOCK AND HOGRING all cages and nest boxes. Anything to slow thieves down may allow enough time for you to be alerted to an intruder in your aviary.

BIRDS VOCALIZING: a major complaint by most owners was that they never heard their birds scream at night as they were being removed from their cages.

REMOVE ANYTHING in your aviaries that can be used to put birds into or assist thieves in the removal of your birds from their cages. Remove all nets, gloves, wire cutters, rakes, holding cages, garbage cans, buckets and ladders.

AT NO TIME SHOULD A HUMAN LIFE BE PUT AT RISK. HUMAN LIFE HAS BEEN LOST BY LOYAL UNSUSPECTING OWNERS TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR BIRDS BY SURPRISING THIEVES IN THE AVIARY.

NEIGHBORS - DO NOT DEPEND on your neighbors to be your security system. Having a neighborhood watch is an asset.

DOGS alone have been very INEFFECTIVE in keeping out criminals, with the possible exception of a highly trained guard dog.

WEATHER has played a major role in over 50% of the Miami area robberies. Aviaries have been burglarized during mild and heavy rains, dogs like their owners, hear nothing during a downpour.

TIMES of theft are documented to have occurred at all hours, with the owners being at home, and awake. Burglaries and robberies can happen in any 24-hour period. Complete cages including nest boxes have been taken through cut fences and loaded on the back of pick up trucks in daylight hours.

A FULL MOON has also played a significant role in theft. Flashlights that might otherwise by used are not necessary.

FOWL under cages in your aviaries or free ranging on your property; can add to your security program. Geese, guineas, ducks and chickens, can become very vocal at the slightest sounds alerting you to intruders.

LIGHTS have been very effective in keeping the criminal element at bay, you can strategically place lights in and around your aviaries to reflect shadows and movement.

MAINTAIN EQUIPMENT by removing overgrown shrubs grasses and tree branches.

REPEAT THEFTS have been very successful more than twice.

SECURITY SYSTEMS: Advertise the fact that your premises are alarmed by using warning decals.

INTERNAL THEFT/INSIDE JOBS: information given by employees may help criminals gain access to your property. Owners should do background checks when hiring an employee who will have access to your birds.

WIRE FENCES: in 90% of all burglaries, cut fences have been the main access.

WOOD FENCES: Replace any rotting wood and check to see that all nails are secure and accounted for. SAND can be put down and used around perimeters or aviaries to "detect" footprints, other than the owners'. This should be maintained daily.

The Senegal Date or Reclinata Palm or any of the Bougainvillea ssp. has up to two-inch long spines that can deter thieves.

PRIVATE BIRD OWNERS

Private owners may have anywhere from one pet bird or as many as 15 birds residing. Most are considered "children" and some have become true family members being passed down through generations.

FRONT DOORS, PORCHES, SCREENED AREAS: these areas area responsible for thefts to most private owners:

• Owners will put pet birds out for fresh air on the front or back porches and screened areas. Birds are quickly taken by thieves, sometimes with the owners being just inside the house, hearing and seeing nothing.
• Doors to homes have literally been kicked in or pried open by thieves.
• Thieves are opportunists looking for an easy target. Start by securing the home.

Lock all cages in the home, thieves may not come prepared to cut locks off cages.

Cages can be bolted to floors.

Do not "boast or brag" you have birds in your home, you never know who is listening.

Do not "advertise" you own a pet bird by taking it out in public.

Do not drive in your car with your bird on your shoulder or front seat. Thieves may follow you home without your knowledge and watch for the next time you leave so they can steal your bird.

Do not "display" your bird in its cage in front of bay windows etc, so it can be seen or heard from the street.

Do not bathe your bird or wash its cage in the front of your house for all to see.

Have your bird microchipped by your veterinarian.

VICTIMS TWICE: placing ads and offering rewards, in hopes of recovering a stolen or lost bird can lead to a second crime against the victim, expect a complete stranger to call, offering to return your bird or to show you where your birds are for cash. Instructions from scam artists are to come alone with the money and no police.

FINDING YOUR STOLEN OR LOST BIRD: owners finding their stolen bird in pet shops or flea markets, have not had them returned UNLESS POSITIVE PROOF OF OWNERSHIP was provided (i.e. microchipping etc.) Owners lacking proof of ownership have had to buy back their pets sometimes paying double the original price.

HOME INVASION or FORCED ENTRY is responsible for less than 1% of birds being removed form households. This is one of the most serious crimes that may be committed against owners of birds.

PET SHOPS

Pet shops have also been the victims of bird theft. Thefts have occurred during working and after store hours. Most daytime thefts have been "walkouts". Distracting groups of thieves occur in any number and gender.

Law Enforcement may lack interest in bird theft cases because there are no leads. Shops can educate their customers to the dangers of bird theft and the importance of microchipping - if your customer no longer owns a bird, then there is no need for them to come into your store to buy food, toys, cages, supplies etc.

THE PAPER TRAIL

By law shops must obtain and keep purchase receipts from owners selling any number of birds. Driver's license, addresses and phone numbers are taken and kept as a permanent record. Information supplied on receipts may be falsely given to shop owners with or without the shop owners' knowledge. Some shops have been known to continually buy and sell stolen birds.

BAD SHOP

Shop owners know birds are not microchipped and legal proof cannot be provided by owners finding their birds in these shops.

PROTECTION CRITERIA FOR DOING BUSINESS - Establish guidelines for doing business and type of information given out over the telephone - for yourself, your employees and family members in including children. Information innocently passed on by you may directly lead to another breeder becoming a victim of theft.

• CHECK REFERENCES
• ANSWERING MACHINES AND CALLER ID can help screen calls. Owners Can add features to phones like call waiting identification
• ADDRESSES Post Office Boxes may help you to remain somewhat private.

AT NO TIME SHOULD ADDRESSES BE GIVEN WITHOUT FIRST SCREENING CLIENTS.

BUYING, SELLING, TRADING: Buyers or sellers or birds can meet on "mutual ground" avoiding one another's homes and properties.

If you purchase a stolen bird "with or without knowledge" that it is stolen, you will lose birds and money.

UNIDENTIFIED/SURPRISE VISITORS need to be greeted and turned away as soon as they are seen getting out of their vehicles.

SCHEDULED CLIENTS, VISITORS AND GIVING TOURS: Set ground rules to visitors and clients prior to them even getting out of their vehicles.

EXHIBITING PARENT BIRDS: some owners may not want to show parent birds or whole collections. Informing clients and visitors from the beginning that birds are not for "exhibit" will save owners time and release them from any expectations clients and visitors may have from them. NO SALE OR TRADING OF BIRDS is worth the price of placing a collection in harm's way. Anyone not comprehending or refusing to cooperate with ground rules etc. is not worthy of your time.

IDENTIFICATION OF PROPERTY

To claim your birds as your property you must be able to POSITIVELY IDENTIFY your property to Law Enforcement or in a Court of Law. There are many ways of identifying birds:

BANDING: is the most common form of identification used for wild caught and domestic stock. 98% of all stolen birds have their bands removed. Veterinarians remove leg bands due to the number of trauma seen to feet and legs.

TATTOOING is also a form of identification, especially of sex. Unfortunately tattoos fade and stretch.

VISUAL IDENTITY: there are no methods currently in place for stolen birds to be immediately identified "on the spot" for anybody trying to locate birds.

MICROCHIPPING is currently one of the most EFFECTIVE and legal means of claiming a stolen or lost bird. It is a universally known technique. How microchipping is applied in the recovery of birds is up to you. It is up to breeders, veterinarians and pet shops to educate clients about theft and the importance of using microchipping as a tool in claiming their bird as their property if it is stolen.

Birds identified by microchipping were returned to their rightful owners, birds that could not be identified were placed in the care of Animal Control. These birds will never be reunited with their rightful owners and these unclaimed birds just may be returned back into the possession of the thieves who took them.

In most cases Law Enforcement will not even go into properties suspected of possessing stolen birds unless birds can be positively identified.

FACT: stolen birds NOT MICROCHIPPED that have been found ARE NOT returned to their rightful owners.

FACT: stolen birds that are MICROCHIPPED that have been found ARE returned to their rightful owners.

THE VETERINARIAN

If you have your bird stolen or are networking to help recover stolen birds, alert your veterinarian and all others in the area immediately. Provide a written description of the missing bird to the veterinarian and office staff. The receptionist is the one person who will greet walk-ins and answer phone calls. If it is suspected that a walk-in has a stolen bird or severely injured bird and refuses to give health care, at the least a vehicle tag or phone number can be taken. If your veterinarian or any other veterinarian tells you they are not "The Beak Police", change vets immediately.

REPORTING A THEFT

TOUCH NOTHING, if you are reporting a burglary. Evidence must be secured if it is to be gathered and used later by the courts to prosecute criminals.

DEATH: If birds are injured and in need of medical attention, a veterinarian should be called to the scene to stabilize the birds.

DETAILS and all information prior to and after your theft may be the only leads Law Enforcement will have throughout the entire case to be able to solve your crime. The fact that stolen property (the birds) is not marked for identification purposes, have left bird theft cases less prioritized by Law Enforcement. Having knowledge of how the judicial system works, after Law Enforcement has done its job, is important in understanding what happens to thieves that are caught, charged, convicted, plea bargained down and released back onto the streets, committing the same crimes.

FINGERPRINTS: If prints are taken crime scene detectives are sent sometimes as long as six hours later.

BIRDS or dogs left behind that are dead, injured or bloodied should be displayed as evidence and documented with the police. Law Enforcement must be made aware that ANIMAL CRUELTY has taken place.

VIDEO/STILL PHOTOS should be taken as soon as possible.

ENCOURAGE ALL THEFT TO BE REPORTED - no matter the species or the quantity taken. At the least you will have educated someone within Law Enforcement as to the beloved pet/family member you have just lost and also the monetary loss to you, which is now some criminal's gain.

AIRPORTS: give all information to commercial airline and airport personnel etc. Stolen birds are thought to be leaving airports within 24 hours after a theft has occurred.

MEDIA: Television and newspapers are an effective tool in make the "general public" aware of bird theft, especially if rewards are offered

PET SHOPS birds turn up in shops and some shop owners are approached to purchase stolen birds. Notify all bird and pet shops.

VETERINARIANS: notify all offices, even non-bird ones.

-Dr. Thomas Goldsmith owns and practices at The Bird and Animal Hospital of Pinecrest located at 12521 S. Dixie Hwy. Pinecrest, FL 33156. He can be reached at (305) 259-6677