They Do Not Belong in Cages (by Azzahra Asysyifa)

Birds caging and selling cannot be fully acceptable; therefore it needs reconsidering economically, environmentally, and socioculturally. In Indonesia so many people cage and sell birds because of economics problems. For many their earnings is from selling birds, but some only cage birds as a hobby or just want to hear the birds sing. Selling birds disturbs the ecosystem, is harmful for the environment, damaging for the birds' emotional health, and can reduce birds' ability to fly. When caging and selling birds became a habit of Indonesian people, bird population started to decrease. It slowly broke the stability in the ecosystem. Indeed, it is harmful to the environment. From the article in detik.com (2011) there was a phenomenon which had happened for weeks in East Java when thousands of caterpillars those belonging to species Desiciria inclusa, Arctomis sp., and Lymntria atemeles collente infested villages in Probolinggo city. The caterpillars were widespread in seven sub districts of Probolinggo city. Most people in Probolinggo make a living from growing mango trees and selling the fruits locally and internationally. But, because of the infestation, around 9,000 mango trees were reported damaged and failed to bloom. Many people suffered from an economic loss. Many people also suffered from itching, psycological tension and in more serious effect like trauma. According to the experts from several universities and the Ministry of Agriculture, this phenomenon happened due to the interruption of the food chain and caused by a lack of bird population in the area due to bird hunting, and the destruction of bird habitats, which had a rippling effect on the ecosystem. Hunting birds and destroying habitats may lead to imbalance of the ecosystem and case an explosion in caterpillar population like what happened in Probolinggo in 2011. Although it was quite difficult to get rid of the caterpillars, Sub District Government use use insecticides to expel them. Birds also had been released in the areas which suffered from the infestation. according to the article on Kompas Newspaper, this kind of problem also happened in Jombang (East Java), Bekasi (West Java), Banyuwangi and Kediri (East Java), Bandung (West java), Gianyar (Bali), Medan (North Sumatra), and Central Java. This kind of problem can be considered as a warning to all of us to treat our environment wisely. This is a hard learned lesson that teaches us not to break and ruin the stability of nature. Caging and selling birds can also be bad for the animals' emotional health. All caged birds are either a captured or captive breed. In their natural habitats, they are never alone and they are meant to be together with other birds. In short, they do not belong in cages. Confinement in cages can lead to neurotic behaviour, excessive screaming, feather plucking, self mutilation, and other destructive habits. These destructive habits again, lead to the decreasing of bird population because they are a captive breed and they die due to the stress of being caged. It can lead to the issue mentioned before which finally effects human. This chain of problems will never end unless, humans do something to balance the ecosystem. In this case, just let the birds free.

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Besides, the birds getting severe emotional health problems, caging birds can reduce their ability to fly. Pet birds mostly have their wings clipped for a long time. Surely, it reduces their mobility too much. Flying is the best form of exercise for birds and preventing birds from flying can form a sedentary behaviour, obesity, etc. Clipping wings can also contribute to insecure or fearful behavior. Birds' instinct is to fly. caging birds does not give them an opportunity to live to their full potential, including self determination and being with their own kind. A pet bird cannot survive in the wild if it were released because it was use to being in a cage, getting food without their own struggle, and not flying. They have not developed the ability to protect themselves, and look for food. Pet birds are more frail, indeed. Let them be themselves with their ability to fly, and instinct to look for their prey or their food. Again, if something does not come naturally, it will cause problems like the ones described previously. All of this will come back to us. In conclusion, birds have their own right to be free. If humans cage them or sell them, it can cause a disaster to nature, damaging for the birds' emotional health, and reduce the birds' ability to fly. Caging and selling birds are also harm to humans. It can cause the explosion of the population of birds' preys for example caterpillar that damage crops, cause severe skin problems, etc. Birds are meant to be in their natural habitats. *** I hope that this short academic essay can give you some information about what happened to the birds in Indonesia.