You see, the thing is, Jehover will not use VULTURES to accomplish his nefarious purposes on the Day of Vegans. He will use BUDGIES. Here's an article that explains why:
What does the Future Hold for the Budgerigar?
By Jim Calder
Copyright 1999 All Rights reserved
[email protected]
As the twentieth century draws to a close, it is interesting to look back over the last hundred years of the budgerigar's development and muse at what the next one hundred years might bring.
During this century, the budgerigar continued its migration from its native Australia and is now found in all countries on earth. The colour varieties available have expanded greatly due to mutation and selective breeding and specialist societies have been formed throughout the world to encourage the breeding and exhibition of this unique little bird. Standards have been developed to depict the Ideal and as these standards have been met or exceeded, improved standards have been developed. A vast body of knowledge has been accumulated regarding disease and its treatment and general husbandry and nutrition are well understood. The basic genetic inheritance of the colour varieties are understood and documented and there is now an increasing understanding of how feather texture inheritance works.
Overall the twentieth century has seen rapid growth and discovery in the early half followed by consolidation and standardisation in the later half of the century. The new century will see a further rapid growth in knowledge about this little bird fueled by exchange of information via the Internet and by new technology now available to the average backyard breeder.
Artificial Insemination
Whilst in the last decade of the twentieth century, artificial insemination has become an established technique, the full impact of its widespread use have yet to be felt. At the moment it can be useful for obtaining chicks from quality cocks that due to injury or disability are unable to breed using conventional means.
It can also be used to increase the numbers of chicks bred from a particular cockbird in the one season.. The breeder is basically limited to using cockbirds, which are already in their possession due to the inability to store the semen for any length of time. The big step forward will come with the ability to store and transport sperm as is the case with cattle for example. This will result in breeders being able to order semen from interstate or overseas breeders and from the top champion birds. There will be many repercussions arising out of this. Firstly the value of the top quality cocks will dramatically increase due to market pressures. Competition for top awards will be more openly contested as more people will have access to the leading bloodlines. "Backward thinking" Societies in some countries will attempt to ban the practice but such bans are likely to be unenforceable and possibly illegal at common law.
Artificial Insemination is a double bladed sword and will cause many positive and negative reactions. The Budgerigar Societies must take a proactive role in managing this new technology and ensure that it benefits the Budgerigar World. They must not stick their heads in the sand and pretend that it does not exist.
3D computer model of the Standard
Until now, the various standards of the Ideal Budgerigar developed by the world's budgerigar societies have been 2D artists impressions on paper. The last Australian National Budgerigar Council (ANBC) standard produced in the late 1980's was a 3D solid hand painted full size model from which photographs were taken to became the pictorial standard.
The next generation of Ideals will be produced using 3D computer-modeling techniques and will be available to all via the Internet. No doubt a number of different models will be produced using different software and layering techniques however essentially the outcome will be to plot the entire surface area of the Ideal as a set of mathematical equations.
Later in the next millennium it is likely to become a holographic model where it will be possible to view the Ideal budgie sitting in a show cage and almost be able to touch it with your hands.
Increased global contact
The Internet has allowed breeders in distant countries to become friends and exchange information and pictures across the globe in a matter of milliseconds. This has lead to specialist breeders being able to discuss issues of esoteric interest with other like-minded individuals. There may only be one or two people in the world at any given time with a particular interest in a particular matter but via the Internet these few individuals can learn of each others whereabouts and exchange information on a higher level than would normally be the case.
At the other end of the scale beginners are able to tap directly into the knowledge of experienced breeders online. There is also a huge body of information in the form of articles available via the net. This body of information is growing at a fantastic rate with literally hundreds of pages of new material about budgerigars being added every day.
The day when virtual budgie shows are conducted via the Internet is not too far away with some societies already putting the necessary infrastructure in place. This will allow breeders in different countries to virtually compete with each other without the stress of moving birds and crossing borders with quarantine restrictions etc. These Internet shows will become the rule rather than the exception in the 21 st century.
DNA mapping
Currently scientists are mapping the Human Genetic Structure of DNA. This is a mammoth task, which is taking many years and costing millions of dollars. Whilst budgies are no doubt way down the line of priority for such a mapping project the time will come ( and not too far into the next century) when the entire genetic structure of the budgerigar will be known. Knowledge of this structure will enable the exact relationship between various factors to be understood.
It will be possible in the future to get a DNA test carried out on a feather and determine whether a bird is split for a particular colour variety or trait. Parentage could be determined by DNA match and those elusive features which make a show bird a winner could be identified and tracked and there exact mode of inheritance determined.
New Colour Mutations
Some have suggested that we have seen the last wave of colour mutations. My view is that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg and that many more await to be uncovered. Since Internet communications between budgerigar breeders commenced in about the mid 1990's we have seen pictures of "varieties" such as the blackface, scaly breast and goldenwing. Old varieties such as the faded, brownwing, mottle, saddleback and slate are still in small numbers and are being perpetuated by a few dedicated individuals. Varieties such as the blackwing, white faced greens, normal black and red body coloured varieties are yet to be established.
Microchipping
Currently leg bands are the standard means of identification of individual budgerigars. They are a simple , low cost and effective means of identifying the breeder and if good records are kept can trace the lineage of the bird. There drawbacks are mainly the potential for injury to the leg if caught or infected, difficulty in reading and the fact that they are "dumb."
Microchipping of large valuable parrot varieties is now commonplace. As the cost factor is reduced, microchipping may become the accepted norm of the future, due to its many advantages. Microchips can identify individuals without the need to catch and handle the bird. A reader merely passing by within a few feet of the chip can scan the identity. The chips will be about the size of a grain of sand, could be injected into say the breast muscles of the bird.
Information can also be stored on a microchip and they can be used to track the movement of the bird. In this sense, the chips are "smart" whereas rings are "dumb" In the high tech aviary of the future every bird's location in the aviary at any given time could be monitored. Any sick individuals could be quickly identified by their lack of activity and attended to. Information on illnesses, show history, parentage, breeding history, moult history and ownership could also be stored and would travel with the bird no matter how many times the ownership changed.
As an interim measure, before the widespread introduction of microchipping, "smart" rings may offer the stepping stone necessary to convert the current generation of breeders over to the benefits of a more advanced means of identification.
Increased regulatory controls / animal liberation
There is a view amongst a small number of people that the keeping of small birds in cages is inherently cruel. These views if allowed to go unchallenged will gradually increase within the general population until political changes to restrict all manner of dealings with animals is the result. Some of the adherents to these views will use whatever means available to obtain publicity for their cause. Not all of these means are legal.
We in the budgerigar fancy must continue to educate the general population at large that these views are not correct and that the keeping and caring for animals is not cruel. We must ensure that we maintain a high profile within the political processes that we call democracy to ensure that the noisy minorities do not win over the silent majority.
Variance in type and standard
The generally accepted vision of the exhibition budgerigar is that which was basically an English model. This model is of a big, buffy feathered, large headed bird. Already there is a reasonable degree of variance to be seen around the world. The smaller typier yellow feathered bird is still popular in many eyes and exceeds its heavier cousins in breeding performance. It is likely that during the next one hundred years or so we will gradually see the emergence of different types or standards for budgies, in much the same way that there are different standards for dog breeds or horses. The canary has had over 500 years of domestication and it has developed into many different 'breeds' such as the Gloucester. Border. Norwich, Yorkshire, Belgian Fancy, Roller and Scottish Fancy to name but a few. There will be opposition amongst some sections of the organised budgerigar world to such a development but it is inevitable as long as we continue to develop in the direction of exhibition ideal that we are currently heading.
Hybrids with other closely related species.
Up until now, I am not aware of any successful hybridization of budgerigars with any other closely related species. This is mainly because very little effort has been made in this direction and few people are actively pursuing this avenue for advancement. Once gene mapping is well understood it should be possible to select the "correct" match of related small parrot species which would successfully hybridize with melopsittacus undulatus. If no exact match is found it may be possible to use gene splicing techniques and insert a string of genes which could add the "missing" colours of red and black into the body feathering, thereby creating a whole new range of colours. This is basically how the red factor canary came into being earlier this century via crosses with siskin finches.
Conclusion
Well that is one view of the future that awaits the budgerigar. Think this is unrealistic?? Think again. All of this technology exists today and does not rely on any great discoveries to become a reality. Just as some people in 1899 did not anticipate the vast changes that electricity, automobiles and airplanes would make to this century it would be foolish to underestimate the changes that computers, genetic engineering and globalisation will make to the next. Whilst the budgerigar fancy does not drive these changes, and by its very nature attempts to resistant change, the changes in lifestyle, technology, and economics that will inevitably occur will result in changes to our hobby that are difficult to imagine at the close of the 20 th century.
