ACTIVATING THE NETWORK
THE TELEPHONE
Starting on a local level, establish who will call, and notify whom. If people are not alerted they will not know! Do not assume that everybody has been informed regarding a theft.
THE INTERNET
Start locally and go to a state, national and international level of informed awareness. All divisions of law enforcement can be notified through the internet and serial numbers of stolen property such as microchips can be put into a nationwide network.
AIRPORTS
Give all information to commercial airline and general aviation airport personnel etc. Stolen birds are thought to be leaving airports within 24 hours after a theft has occurred.
MEDIA
Television and newspapers are effective tools in making the general public aware of bird theft, especially if rewards are offered. Appoint a spokesperson from the network to keep in touch with the news desk. When news is slow, television or newspapers can run informative and educational news on parrots.
PET SHOPS
Birds turn up in shops, and some shop owners are approached to purchase "stolen birds." Notify all bird and pet shops.
VETERINARIANS
Notify all offices, including those that don't treat birds.
FIELD NETWORKERS
These persons have the physical task of going into shops, flea markets, auctions, bird fairs, etc., either to distribute or to get information. Inventories of birds can be taken on a weekly basis at flea markets, etc.
OTHER
Any other means to alert or inform the community that a theft has occurred, such as Port Authority, Customs etc.
Your network is one of the only ways you will be able to start to recover birds. Most crimes leave little or no evidence at the scene, and even if law enforcement has been successful in capturing a criminal, not all birds have been recovered in the case of large thefts. If birds are found and cannot be recovered due to lack of identification, at least you will know who is involved in the thefts, or in the fencing of birds.
Persons helping to recover birds other that Law Enforcement, spend their own time and money in phone calls, faxes and on foot, helping to put together additional information that may be used in helping victims recover their birds.
Networkers, or any other individuals helping to recover birds may not receive the praise, thank you notes, flowers, candy or telephone calls from the ones they are helping.
These victims just may not be able to talk, or write due to a broken beak, a broken wing, a broken leg, or even a broken heart.
See the last page, Resources for Lost and Stolen Birds and Other Pets, for other resources.