When birds are in the wild, these beautiful creatures are never alone. You may have noticed this on a wildlife channel or probably in real life as well. Even for a moment if they are away from their flock mates, they call wildly to get back to each other’s company. So what are we doing when we actually cage these gorgeous winged creatures? We’re crushing their spirits at the expense of our delight. Harsh, isn’t it? They may beautify our homes and it may be a great hobby to rear them, but what good is it doing them?
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Caging birds is something that seems so normal to us but can be a nightmare to birds. The greatest thing about being a bird is the ability to fly – to soar above the skies, a freedom that other creatures can only envy. So, to confine a bird to a cage where it can barely fly at all is severely cruel.
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Jaya Sawant is a pet lover who has two dogs. She is of the opinion that dogs may be great pets, but caging a bird is just not right. “Having a pet dog is fine, in fact better than it living on the road. But caging a bird is just so wrong, on so many levels! How would a human like it? Whenever we think of cruelty to animals, the first thing we need to consider is, will you live that life for even a day? How would that feel?”
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It clearly shows on the behaviour of the bird as well. You don’t see a chirpy bird in a cage, do you? You may see a well trained bird that probably loves his ‘master’, but there you go! We talk about slavery being a thing of the past, but we enslave these majestic creatures and call ourselves masters! Double standards, eh?
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So, if you have a caged bird at home, what is the next option for you? Probably a bird sanctuary is a good choice as this will give your bird more space and more birds to live with. The next time you go to by a bird, remember that it hurts their life to stay in a cage. If you are generous enough to buy a bird and set it free, that will credit your humanity to no limit! However, consider that a caged bird may not be able to live a free life soon after and donating it to a sanctuary may always be the best option.