A Lot Of Crazy Friends

A Devastating Loss Last night (Feb 24, 2005) we suffered an incredible loss. As a treat at the end of the evening, we gave the Cockatoos a 1/2 grape as we shut them down, an "off to bed" treat for them. Within 15 minutes they were showing signs of sickness. 3-4 minutes after that they had lost muscle control and couldn't perch. They were violently regurgitating and couldn't breathe. Less than a minute later, they died. Eight of our Parrots passed away last night. We're now certain that is was the grapes that caused the deaths. Please do not feed your parrots grapes from Chile until we have the results back. (See below) The Necropsy showed that Marmalade was in perfect health (lungs, brain, skin, muscles, lungs and crop). This means a toxin that affects the nervous system. The grapes were bought from a local store, and brought in by a potential volunteer. We went through our usual precautionary steps, washing in anti-microbial soap, and heavily rinsing them. As news of this comes out, please post your thoughts in any of the Parrot forums (I'm a regular on near all of them), as our phone has been ringing off the hook and we all need some time to recuperate. The Memorial page is under way, and we will have that fully up and running by Sunday morning. Thank you, Sterling
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Loved ones that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge:
Marmalade, a Mollucan Cockatoo
Lita, a Greater Sulphur Cockatoo (51 years old)
Sunny, an Umbrella Cockatoo Joe, another Umbrella
Abigail, a Medium Sulphur Crested cockatoo,     Marly, an Umbrella Cockatoo
(and one of the mascots of the rescue)
Tasha, another Umbrella Cockatoo
Marcy, a Noble Macaw (our first rescued bird)
Squally, a Pionus
Necropsy results in... Subject: The necropsy is in On February 24th, 2005 we suffered a devastating loss. My family and ACPR has suffered an immense and incalculable loss. To have these members of our flock ripped from us with no warning is something I don't wish for anyone to go through. The necropsy is in, and it appears to be a natural toxin affecting the nervous system. The toxin is caused by a mold growth in the meat of the grape. The birds will be cremated and their ashes spread on the wildlife preserve here in West Harwich. A donation was given specifically for their headstone, and it will be place in a memorial site nearby the ashes. As I read countless message board posts and emails, received numerous phone calls (my ear hurts), and been humbled by the donations you've all given, I could never express to each and everyone one of you how much this means to me, my family, and most of all the birds Thank you so very much Sterling http://www.allcapeparrotrescue.com/index.html PESTICIDE POISONINGS IN CHILE SHOW SHARP INCREASE\ Pesticide Poisonings Could Threaten Agriculture Exports(Feb. 4, 2005) There were 285 victims (human)of pesticide-relatedpoisoning in November and December of 2004, nearly three times as many as in 2003, according to the Health Ministry.The 132 poisonings recorded in December more than tripled World Health Organization (WHO) estimates and more than doubled the Health Ministryâ€™s most pessimistic forecasts.Dep. Adriana MuÃ±oz of the Party for Democracy (PPD) denounced the number of pesticide accidents in 2004, saying the two fatalities and 568 intoxications were unacceptable. Although Januaryâ€™s statistics have not yet been released, specialists predict that the worrying trend will continue.The sharp rise in the number of known cases is partly due to new regulations, which took effect in October, making itcompulsory to notify the Health Ministry of pesticide-related poisonings within 48 hours.The ministry suspects some employers were concealing cases of chemical poisoning prior to the ruling, given the high number of temporary workers, the majority of whom have no employment contract and some of whom may be working illegally.A joint Agricultural and Labor Ministry initiative hopes to put an end to such practices. â€œJob Done, Contract Signed,â€launched last month, aims to encourage informal workers torefuse to do jobs where they will not be protected by anemployment contract.â€œThe important issue is to implement better standards andworking conditions more quickly, with particular focus on the health of agricultural workers,â€�?said Labor Minister RicardoSolari. About 5,200 agricultural workplaces will be subjected to a Labor Ministry inspection before the end of 2005 to as certain whether safety standards are being met. In addition, the Heath Ministry will carry out 2,000 inspections to ensureagricultural workersâ€™ health is not being jeopardized.It is hoped that the findings of the inspections will push thegovernment to introduce new legislation regulating the use ofherbicides and pesticides.MuÃ±oz said any such law should also restrict where fumigationcan take place to avoid repeats of a 2003 incident where 30children suffered chemical poisoning after an aerialfumigation near their school (ST, Oct. 29, 2003).But the real battle is to persuade agricultural firms andpesticide producers to adhere to any new governmentinitiatives.â€œThe frequency of these pesticide accidents show that(companies) are not complying with any of the current laws because fines are very low,â€�?said MarÃa Elena Rozas, regional coordinator of the Latin American Network for Action to findAlternatives to Pesticides (RAP-AL).Given that the 10 main producers of agricultural materials control 84 percent of the world market and saw total sales of around US$3 billion in 2000, small fines are not a big enough threat.Confronted with the economic power that these multinationals wield, the pesticide problem has become a development issue. Poorer nations forced to relax regulations governing the useof pesticides and choose cheaper but are potentially harmful products.The three most-used pesticides in Chile â€�?Folpet, Linuron andCarbaril �?are banned in Malaysia, Norway and Jordanrespeectively. Three other pesticides, Aclonifen, Metidationand Teflutrina, are only classified as moderately harmful substances in Chile, despite their WHO classification as highly dangerous.Given lax regulation of pesticide use in the developing world,it is not surprising that statisticians from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that 99 percent of cases of pesticide-related poisoning occur indeveloping countries. Rozas said Chilean authorities should ensure tighter controlson the use of pesticides that can cause health problems.â€œMany products can affect the reproductive system, while others, such as teratogenic pesticides that are still being used, can cause cancer or congenital deformities,â€�?she said.Rozas added that Chile should be especially cautious because of its important agricultural export market.Chileâ€™s agricultural exports have been put under international scrutiny twice in recent years when traces of pesticides were found on Chilean-exported apples and grapes. The levels of pesticides found on the fruits, which had been exported to Germany, exceeded European Union limits.Chileâ€™s potential export market has grown enormously in past months after trade agreements were signed with India, Japan and Italy. But if Chileâ€™s agricultural industry is to take advantage of this expansion, pesticide regulations will have to be improved to comply with international standards. But the main concern for the moment is the safety of Chileâ€™s agricultural workers. Agricultural Minister Jaime Campos is optimistic that agricultural firms will begin to address safety issues soon.â€œEvery day farmers are realizing that to sustain theagricultural industry, they must take note of social andenvironmental concerns and not only financial issues,â€�?hesaid.SOURCE: LA NACIÃ³N, By Emily Byrne Maybe this is the same thing that has caused poisoning in dogs...

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