Birds International - Commercial Operations

Commercial Operations

Birds International provides captive-bred birds to pet lovers, hobbyist, zoos and parks.

The company is evaluated to be "the biggest and most successful breeder of exotic birds in the world". It has 20,000 exotic birds at any given time. Most of them are exported to Asia, Europe and Japan. Prices can be high, for instance US$500–1,000 for a Blue-and-gold Macaw making Birds International a successful business venture and thus a model for similar enterprises.

It has also been pointed out as a model for aviculture industry in Australia where, as in the Philippines, commercial trade in native exotic birds has existed for decades. In the Senate report titled Commercial Utilisation of Australian Native Wildlife an entire paragraph is set apart for Birds International experience based on a submission: "As an example of the potential for expansion, Ms Anderson noted that an avicultural enterprise in Manila, 'Birds International' which houses six thousand birds on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) property, breeds to order large quantities of birds for overseas markets. They retain 15 per cent of stock bred each year for future breeding. Ms Anderson believes that 'similar establishments could be developed in Australia to house specifically Australian species of birds and the benefit to the Australian economy in terms of trade would be substantial'. Flow-on effects could include a boost to domestic markets for birds and a rejuvenated interest in breeding birds in captivity which could assist the recovery of rare species in the wild." Indeed G. R. Wilson mentions "some international competitors such as Birds International" as a source of "considerable competition when they target markets with low animal-health standards" in his entry on trade in native birds in the The New Rural Industries handbook of the Australian Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

The company carries out activities other than breeding and sales of birds. These include veterinary and quarantine services and aviary and cage construction. The veterinary clinic received attention in 2002 for carrying out surgery on a 2.5-foot (0.76 m)-tall Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), a rare, almost extinct animal, rescued by the authorities after being wounded by a bullet and named "Amianan". The animal eventually died of a fungal infection and was stuffed.