Michelle: I'm disappointed that this issue exploded as well. However, warnings and alerts involving bird safety receive top priority at Precisely Parrots. When a valid safety warning is presented within a discussion thread and in turn that valid safety warning becomes publicly trivialized/criticized by certain members, said criticism significantly detracts from the impact of that valid safety warning. This means that future readers of the thread will be less likely to take the warning as seriously as they otherwise might, since the appearance is that the warning is buried in controversy. With the current issue, that likelihood may result in someone who comes across this very thread and happens to be the new guardian of a larger parrot that is prone to snap brittle objects -but who may not know the bird's personality and inclinations yet- mostly or fully ignoring the safety warning and thus allowing the new bird to interact with the plastic/acrylic objects at issue. And ignoring the warning in such a case creates the potential for a tragic end. We should be doing everything we can to avoid producing even one instance of this scenario that could result in injury or death to a parrot somewhere.
I made a one-line warning here (post #4). It should not have been challenged by anyone because it was presented in the best interest of companion parrots and their safety. No one here has the right to interfere with a valid safety warning. Period!
If some members feel resentful over my actions concerning this issue and thus choose to leave our community, it's truly a shame and I'm sincerely sorry to see them go. But social dynamics and pacification of members must be secondary to bird safety matters among this community. My hope is that most folks understand this value and will embrace it. Unfortunately, however, if they don't, our policy on safety warning priority will not change.