According to Cortez, There Was a Royal Menagerie in the Time Of
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by Sheldon Dingle According to Cortez, there was a Royal 190,000 more people each day. This eludes our bringing any Elliot's out of Menagerie in the time of Montezuma. The extraordinary increase in population vast China and, in fact, it may not be long menagerie was divided into two sections. ly boosts the amount of food and space until there are no Elliot's left in China. One section was for birds of prey, reptiles, used by men and greatly multiplies the A 1972 survey estimated there were only and quadrupeds. The other section was amount of their waste products. These 350 of these birds in captivity. Again, reserved for all birds that did not live by factors point toward the inevitable ex six members of the California Game prey. Cortez reported that there were tinction of many birds. Unfortunately, Breeder's Association keep and raise three hundred men employed in taking all of the pheasants are indigenous to Asia Elliot's, and it is the captive stock that care of the birds - not counting the skill and Eastern Europe, where the popula will preserve this pheasant. ful persons whom today would be called tion and food supply problems are the An ironic quirk of fate centers around veterinarians. Of the three hundred atten worst. another endangered Chinese pheasant, dants, some procured the food; some fed For example, the Brown Eared Phea the Swinhoe's (Lophura swinhoei). This the birds; some watched after nesting and sant (crossoptilon mantchuricum) lives in bird is found only in a small area on the incubation; and finally, some were charg northern China and inner Mongolia. Its island of Formosa (Taiwan), and is now ed with saving the finest feathers to be environment has been extensively destroy extremely rare ih the wild. As the island used as royal ornaments. ed, as China develops her natural resourc is controlled by the anti-communist Well, who knows just why Montezuma es and becomes a more industrialized Nationalist Chinese, many refugees .have kept birds? The feathers were a factor, nation. In 1864, one male and two female fled Mainland China and settled on no doubt, but he probably had a number Brown Eareds were brought into Paris. Taiwan. This enormous population explo of other reasons, just as we aviculturists In 1866, two males were sent from Peking sion has resulted in the steady reduction have a multitude of reasons. Of all the to the London Zoo. No other importa of the Swinhoe's habitat, and in 1964, reasons for keeping birds in captivity, tions have been recorded. All of the cap the Taiwan government announced that however, one has been constantly gaining tive stock has probably descended from the Swinhoe's Pheasant was in danger of in importance. Some birds, not well these few birds. The years of inbreeding extinction. In 1967 the Pheasant Trust established in aviculture, will become ex have resulted in poor fertility among of England made the necessary arrange tinct very soon and be lost forever. many of the males, but there is no way to ments, and sent the first consignment of A 1967 study showed that eighty-six get wild caught birds out of Communist thirty birds to Taiwan. Nine pairs of these known species and sub-species of birds birds were kept on Taiwan for captive have positively become extinct. Nineteen China. Six members of the California breeding. The other birds were released in more species have most probably died out Game Breeders Association keep this a protected forest area that should prove as intensive searches over the years have beautiful pheasant in their aviaries. ideal for their reestablishment. Ten mem failed to fmd any live specimens. Of the Another example can be found in the bers of our club keep and breed Swinhoe's forty-eight species of pheasants, at least Elliot's Pheasant (Syrmaticus ellioti). Pheasants. In this case, a vanishing Chinese sixteen are in danger of extinction. The It, too, is a Chinese bird, but it lives in bird was probably saved from extinction, California Game Breeders Association, the mountain forests of the south-east, by aviculturists of the Western World. Inc. (an early .member of A.F .A.), holds a rather than in the north with the Brown particular interest in these birds. Eared. The Elliot's population is rapidly The problems leading towards the ex Probably the main reason the various decreasing before the chain-saws and tinction of various pheasants are not birds are endangered is the destruction of ·bulldozers. As the forest disappears confined to China. The White Eared their natural habitats. The human popula around the pheasant, the bird is trapped Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) is tion continues to increase at the rate of and eaten by the hungry populace. Hun native to Tibet, living in rugged mountain 233 births per minute, which totals gry people and a hostile government pre- areas. In the vicinity of the monasteries, 20 the bird was protected, becoming quite tame, and its population flourished. Under Communist domination, the monasteries have been severely persecuted. The phea sant population, now on its own, is rapidly dwindling as bird after bird goes into the stew pot. There are very few 804/542-5961 White Eared Pheasants in captivity, and P.O. BOX 306 CHARLOTTE COURTHOUSE, VIRGINIA 23929 unfortunately, none of our members have any. Viet Nam is another troubled area of the world where the pheasants have not Tues-Sat. 10 to 5:30 had optimum conditions for many years. Troop movements, bomb blasts, destroy Sun: 1 to 5 pm ed crops, defoliation, ad infinitum, are not conducive to increasing a bird popula tion. As it happens, the Imperial Pheasant (Lophura imperialis) lives only in central Viet Nam and part of Laos. Due to the above named conditions it has been thrust onto the endangered species list. The Edward's Pheasant (Lophura ed wardsi) shares the VietNam habitat and the Imperial's fate. The widespread famines in India have put intense pressure on the Cheer Pheasant (Catro wal/achi), and several of the wild jungle fowl in the family Phasianidae. In WE HAVE A USDA APPROVED QUARANTINE STATION fact, virtually all of the birds of the world are surviving under increasingly difficult circumstances. BUY ·SELL ·SHIP We have enumerated here just a few BIRDS OF ALL KINDS of the birds that are endangered, and share the common future of destruction and Specializing death. A small number of species will be in saved from extinction because there is a Finches and Australian Hookbills well established population in captivity. If only there were more aviculturists, and they were more concerned about the CALL (213) 341·1522 OR (213)882 •7130 endangered birds. If just one specie were saved, it would be reason enough to keep 20223 Saticoy St., Canoga Park, CA. 91306 and breed birds • 21 .