Alex's achievements are not only helping birds by raising the awareness of parrot enthusiasts, but our work has also reached beyond the bird world to benefit humans. The methods developed for teaching Alex have been used with great success by my colleague, Diane Sherman, PhD (NewFound Therapies, Monterey, CA), to teach autistic children various social and other communicative skills. Consequently, continuing the research at the Foundation is important to the world at large, as well as for the world of
academia.

The above is taken in part from the Alex Foundation Newsletter.  Animals are constantly being exploited and used to benefit humans.  Isn't it time for payback - when will humans be used to benefit animals?  Anyone up for volunteering to be experimented on in a lab to stop PDD, Giardia, feather plucking or any host of avian problems and illnesses that we caused in the first place by forcing these creatures into our cages?  If you don't want to volunteer, maybe we'll just abduct you and make you volunteer anyway.

Evidence has been established which indicates that parrots are highly social and sentient beings, fully aware of their surroundings.  Despite this, thousands of wild parrots are captured and taken from their flocks and natural habitat for the international pet trade every year.  It is estimated that up to 50% of them die before they are even exported.  Additionally, captive parrots may be abused or mistreated, often unintentionally, and many are abandoned by owners each year who do not understand the requirements of parrot stewardship.  The mission of The Alex Foundation is to improve the lives of parrots in captivity and preserve those in the wild.

Ivy:  I can understand your position but there is another result from Dr. Pepperberg's work.  That result is the understanding that, indeed, these animals are NOT ours to exploit in any way.  I got my AG's years ago before I had ever learned of Pepperberg's work.  I was ignorant of the needs of birds and their intelligence.  I have evolved and Irene Pepperberg's studies have reinforced my own "gut" feeling.  My 20 years of living with birds has taught me one thing.  Birds are not meant to live in a cage or anyone's living room. They aren't here for our entertainment or companionship.  They are meant to live in the wild and live their own lives.  They have their own mates to find and work to perform.  They have needs to explore and fulfill as much as any human.  If it were possible, I'd bring my birds all back to their native lands and let them loose.  That's never going to happen because they could never survive.  They would either die of starvation or end up as some other wild animal's lunch.

In my opinion, Pepperberg's work is important. Her work informs us that animals have the ability to think & reason.  Historically, we've been told that only humans have this ability.  It isn't so.  We need the scientific basis for this argument in order to improve the lives of animals and in particular the lives of birds. 

I would love to stop the selling of birds in pet stores.  I would love to stop the breeding.  Birds are not meant to be kept in captivity.  However, in my opinion, Pepperberg treats her birds with as much respect as possible.  In the larger scheme of things, she is doing a greater good.

This is so sad, yet Alex is in a better place, certainly living as a "lab parrot" for all those years was not any sort of life for a parrot. Sure, he proved that African Grey's are intelligent but at the expense of living in solitude in a laboratory. If Pepperberg truly wanted to study the intelligence of a parrot she need only tour the world's parrot sanctuaries and spend time in these places. All she is accomplishing in her studies is to fuel the public's desire to acquire a Grey and create a life of misery for the Greys in her lab and the ones sold in the pet trade to the ill-informed public seeking a talking parrot.

Tami

I have known Irene for many years and have been spent time in her lab many times over the years. To watch the two of them together, I agree, they had a bond that went beyond a ‘lab experiment’ or a ‘working relationship’. Alex and the other two birds are / were not locked away in cages but out in the lab, in the middle of the all activities that were happening and receive love, attention and a tremendous amount of interaction beyond the significant work. Alex was not MADE to talk or work because you cannot MAKE a bird talk or work. The students and staff were excellent with Alex and the other birds. The students I met from Harvard and Braneis Universities were very brilliant, motivated and caring people. You need to experience Irene’s Lab before making judgments on what you think it was like or about. Alex was fully feathered once they moved to a new location. I never saw him under stress. Alex also had a great sense of humor.

We can argue about birds being in the wild and there are many very strong and passionate opinions on the topic. Let’s look beyond that aspect for the moment and look at what we have learned and what Irene and Alex have contributed to the world. We have not only learned the cognitive components and tool usage of Grey’s but how they learn, plus the technique Irene uses with birds has benefited many children with a variety of disabilities.

Irene’s technique was adapted for children by me and the technique has taught the children how to ‘read’ facial / body emotions, tones of voice, non-verbal language and engendering empathy in autistic and autistic spectrum children when it is thought they cannot demonstrate empathy or levels of empathy. It has taught children with autistic, autism spectrum, ADHD, ADD, NLD, and now children with manic depression disorder social skills, appropriate body language, how to protect themselves against cruel peers and many have friends for the first time in their lives. Irene and Alex’s work has made a positive and significant impact in lives of many children and parents.

Let’s focus on the accomplishments, celebrate those accomplishments and give Alex and Irene a moment of our appreciation for their dedication, knowledge and work they have done together. Alex’s death is a great loss to the world and he will be missed. My heart and love goes out to Irene.

Diane Sherman

Monterey, Ca.