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| Sir David - he campaigned against songbird slaughter |
BIRDS and all creatures have lost a friend following today's tragic death of Southend West MP Sir David Amess.
He was a passionate opponent of fox-hunting, hare-coursing and other field 'sports' that involved the killing of wildlife.
He opposed badger-culling and spoke out against the international trade in wild animals, even winning the support of former French screen idol Brigitte Bardot.
He was also vehement in his outrage at the widespread slaughter of songbirds in Malta, Cyprus and elsewhere.
But he was frustrated at the lack of action, once telling fellow-MPs: "There is no point in having debates where we feel good at the end but nothing happens."
Although a wildlife enthusiast, Sir David (69) saw no contradiction in keeping pets, so long as they were looked after well.
Over the years, his own family kept animals and birds of varying species, drawing the line at giraffes because "none of our ceilings are high enough".
One occasion, he and a parliamentary colleague sought to bring back two rescue tortoises - named Fama and Gusta - from Cyprus but were prevented by red tape.
Below is the extract of one of many Common speeches - this one in December, 2015 - he made on issues connected with animal welfare.
"Over the years, I have kept many birds
"Many people keep birds - budgerigars, canaries and a number of common parrots - in captivity as companion animals, and I am very comfortable with that.
"However, the majority of birds imported through Heathrow Airport come from places such as South Africa, South America, Singapore and the Czech Republic.
"It is absolutely ridiculous to bring back humming birds, given the cruelty involved in netting them.
"A large range of species, including macaws, lovebirds, toucans and birds of prey, are kept. The number of species is estimated to approach 1,000.
"Many of those species are now kept in the UK, and that is very cruel - these birds are taken out of their natural habitat, and they are not well looked after in captivity."
He continued: "The RSPCA does a splendid job -I might be slightly critical of its ever-changing management, but its ordinary members do a splendid job.
"However, it certainly supports my concerns about the keeping of exotic birds.
" It recently reported that 80 dead exotic birds were found at the bottom of a cage they shared with a boa constrictor - a boa constrictor for goodness’ sake!
"Many of the other birds in the cage were on the verge of death.
"Of the 80 dead birds, two were zebra finches - I know they are fairly common - and one was a bronze-winged mannikin which had died as a result of head trauma after attempting to escape from the snake.
"The snake was curled up in the water bowl, so the birds were traumatised because they could not get anything to drink.
"During the inspection, budgerigars were also found to be suffering from skin complaints and a mite infestation."
"I welcome the debate, but it should not just be a talking shop.
"We should change the legislation and ensure that is actually enforced.
"It is Christmas, with the Nativity and all of that, and this should be a happy season - not just for human beings but for animals as well."
* The chief executive of the RSPB, Beccy Speight, was among those in the conservation world who have paid tribute to Sir David. She wrote on Twitter: "Very shocked and deeply sad to hear the news about David Amess. He was at our recent parliamentary reception and was always supportive on wildlife issues and animal welfare. Our thoughts go out to his family."
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