Wildlife is a hobby devoted to the capture and care in captivity of certain wild birds, generally those belonging to the family of finches.
It is an ancient tradition that is gaining strength in the south of Spain, although the rest of the world is not exempt from this sad hobby.
Like bullfighting, silvestrismo is a tradition rooted in family culture and the heritage of their ancestors. These people strongly defend the hunting of wild animals, for what? Find out in this AnimalWised article.
What are sylvestrists?
Wildlifers must meet some requirements to hunt and keep birds in their possession. The state assigns a certain number of licenses per year that can be obtained through a bird society, once there a feredative card is received and later on a license for capture. We could say that it is a rather strict regulation because until the second year the federated silvestrist cannot have in his possession any fringed. The maximum quota is to capture 10 to 11 birds per season and when you are a veteran.
These hobbyists focus on certain bird species, including:
- Goldfinch
- Wild Canaries
- Finchfinches
- Greenfingers
- Verdecillos
- Pardillos
- Fuck us
- Bullfinches
- Linnet
We can't deny that wildlife enthusiasts love to hear their catches sing when they wake up, are fascinated by their wonderful and colorful feathers, or enjoy sharing their experience with their families. Of course, in my opinion they are blinded by pure selfishness of wanting to have an animal even at the cost of their life.
How captures are carried out
The first year the novice wilder cannot hunt on his own, he must be accompanied by a veteran for instruction. The technique is quite prehistoric and it consists of placing a net and a "call" to attract other wild specimens. The claim consists of a previously captured bird that acts as a decoy.
These hobbyists place seeds, birds tied with string, birds in cages, drop nets, etc. AVDAN seriously denounces some practices carried out by certain fans.
Caught Wild Bird Life
The goldfinch is in general the most appreciated bird by wildlife lovers for its incredible singing quality, although the wild canary is also highly valued.
Once the specimens have been captured, the federated silvestrist must register them and offer them a space to live. They generally create places called "aviaries" in which they classify the birds.
Wild-caught birds are often used to breed other specimens that are trained to sing professionallyand subsequent submission to the contest . In the photos you can see a canary aviary.
We are not going to deny that in many aviaries their hygienic, he alth and food conditions are totally acceptable and even of great quality. Still, not all silvestrists are honest and passionate people at heart: many only enter this world to make money.
The forced moult
A very widespread practice that experts and associationsdenounce is the forced molting of birds. It consists of placing the individualized cage in a dark place or covering it with opaque cloth.
Once inside, the bird cannot navigate through daylight hours. This implies that they do not know what time to get up, what time of year it is or whether or not it is time to eat. Forced moulting is used for the bird to renew all its plumage, which, if carried out naturally, could be of poorer quality when staying indoors with such stable temperatures.
The lack of orientation and relationship with the environment causes a generalized and very high stress situation in the bird. This type of technique is carried out by people with experience, otherwise the life of the goldfinch and its survival are not assured.
The direct consequences of silvestrism
Silvestrism is prohibited in much of Europe and the possession and capture of fewer specimens is allowed. Why? Many governments join in the protection of wildlife, a precious asset that is diminished with each passing year. People steal entire broods, capture during the breeding season leaving the chicks without parents etc.
All these malicious practices are undoubtedly the direct consequence of silvestrism, the hunting of live specimens for later life in a small cage.
We highlight shocking figures and headlines
- In Spain there are between 50,000 and 55,000 federated members
- The 14,000 Andalusian wildcatters will cage more than 100,000 songbirds - El Mundo 2010
- 160 goldfinches intervene on a man who hunted birds in the Guadiana area - Today 2015
- 13 new goldfinches take part - Mar TV 2015
- 38 goldfinches and 80 linnets intervened in Camponaraya - Diario de Leon 2015
- 200 illegally captured finches, released in the La Costera Natural Park - 2015
Conclusions
The awareness that wild animals should not be used for economic purposes, as currency or simply for the enjoyment of those who capture should be a task that the whole society must carry out.
Currently animals have become one more victim of illegal trafficking. Even if an animal is respected and cared for as it deserves, it is not life to be locked up in a small enclosure.
And you, what do you think? It doesn't matter if you are a silvestrist or on the contrary you disagree, leave your opinion on "the hidden face of silvestrism" below.
