He was brought on AC 360 to talk about the recent death of a trainer at Sea World in Orlando, Florida  by a killer whale.

After some back-and-forth, Anderson asked O'Barry why he thought the whale attacked. Without hesitation O'Barry said "habitat dictates behavior." He went on the explain that if you visit the snake habitat at most zoos, you'll find at the very least, some rocks the snakes can crawl under. A tree or bush they may crawl up.

Yet these mammoth but beautiful creatures live in large "concrete boxes" filled with water. Yes these high functioning whales & dolphins live with absolutely no way of seeking privacy (safety), or mental stimulation. Big concrete boxes filled with water!

We answer lots of behavior questions at Windy City Parrot. To help with problems we need to ask lots of questions. One of the first questions is, "how many toys are in the cage?" And most people are surprised that we ask this question.

But it resolves to the statement "habitat dictates behavior." Your large parrot - African Grey, Greenwing Macaw, Moluccan Cockatoo - has the mental capacity of a functioning 2 or 3 year old child.

So when we hear "oh he has 2 or 3 toys" or "there's a ladder and a bell in the cage," you  can imagine our frustration. I mean no one would ever think of locking a child in a cage for 12 hours a day - let alone with just a ladder and a bell to entertain.

Toys in bird's cage are like the leaves of tree that bird would be living in if it were in the wild. The toys offer entertainment to avoid boredom. Birds will use certain toys to preen so they don't over preen them selves. Fill the top third of your cage with 10 or 15 toys and your bird has places to hide behind, thus feeling more secure.

So the next time your bird lunges, is reluctant to come out of the cage or show signs of self mutilation (feather plucking) remember Richard O'Barry's words - "habitat dictates behavior"

Here's a video Richard O'Barry produced
It's about the slaughtering of dolphins
It is not for the faint-of-heart

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