I am really appreciating the civil discussion about this issue. There are so many angles to this. One of my concerns is that if people take the house sparrows or starlings to a rehab center and are told that the birds can't be released, will people start keeping them as pets? Also, will it turn kids off to wildlife that are told that the house sparrow or starling they brought in can't be helped?
I'm not asking these questions to start a fight, I'm just trying to work my way through this. I know all too well the damage that house sparrows cause, I remember finding a freshly killed adult nuthatch with a puncture mark in the back of its head. I looked up and found a nest hole with a sparrow sticking out of it. I can see that there's an argument for not wasting funds that a rehab facility gets on exotic species but most people bring in exotic species and give donations as a result. Could rehab facilities still survive if they lose the donations that come in with exotic species? So if rehab places have to close as a result wouldn't that be worse? Again, I'm not trying to start fights, I'm just working my way through this. Sharon Stiteler Minneapolis, MN www.birdchick.com
