Antonio de Dios
Encyclopedia
Antonio de Dios is a "bird aficionado" known in the relevant circles from the Philippines
who established in 1975 Birds International, Inc.
(not to be confused with BirdLife International
, an environmental non-governmental organization and not affiliated with the short-lived quarterly publication Birds International by Joe Forshaw), a company
working in the field of aviculture
.
He came from a wealthy family and currently is the President and General Manager of Transport Equipment
Corporation, the family business established by his father.
De Dios was interested in animals since his childhood and kept many pets (including several birds) in their family house before proceeding to breeding business. He had become aware of the critical decline of exotic
bird population in his country in early 1970s and decided to open a breeding and research facility. He acquired a field of six hectares in Quezon City
near Manila
, the capital of the Philippines, and established Birds International Incorporated. The location of the center is suitable since the tropical climate of Philippines is conducive to the breeding and propagation of exotic birds. He is also the director of the facility.
The company is the largest captive parrot breeding facility in the world;., not to be confused with the largest 'bird collection in the world' boasting one third of all species existing in captivity which claims title to Dr. Jesus Estudillo Lopez http://www.vida-silvestre.org/index.aspx of Mexico City. Mr. de Dios has been labelled "the biggest and most successful breeder of exotic birds in the world" and a successful business venture. It is reputed to have the largest parrot collection in the world.
However Antonio de Dios had also been heavily criticized by some conservationists for his commercial interests in the Spix's Macaw
, one of the rarest birds in the world, despite his success in captive breeding the species. For example when he decided to donate some birds to other facilities Natasha Schischakin, a conservationist working on Spix's Macaw who is critical of private efforts, stated that "The owner of BII, Antonio de Dios offered to donate these birds to the reintroduction effort, but only with the establishment of rigorous protocols and involvement of his staff in the reintroduction program.".
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
who established in 1975 Birds International, Inc.
Birds International
Birds International Incorporated or BII is a company working in the field of aviculture established in 1975 by Antonio de Dios...
(not to be confused with BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
, an environmental non-governmental organization and not affiliated with the short-lived quarterly publication Birds International by Joe Forshaw), a company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
working in the field of aviculture
Aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
.
He came from a wealthy family and currently is the President and General Manager of Transport Equipment
Corporation, the family business established by his father.
De Dios was interested in animals since his childhood and kept many pets (including several birds) in their family house before proceeding to breeding business. He had become aware of the critical decline of exotic
Exotic
Exotic can mean:*In mathematics:**Exotic R4 - differentiable manifold homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the Euclidean space R4**Exotic sphere - differentiable manifold homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the ordinary sphere*In physics:...
bird population in his country in early 1970s and decided to open a breeding and research facility. He acquired a field of six hectares in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
near Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, the capital of the Philippines, and established Birds International Incorporated. The location of the center is suitable since the tropical climate of Philippines is conducive to the breeding and propagation of exotic birds. He is also the director of the facility.
The company is the largest captive parrot breeding facility in the world;., not to be confused with the largest 'bird collection in the world' boasting one third of all species existing in captivity which claims title to Dr. Jesus Estudillo Lopez http://www.vida-silvestre.org/index.aspx of Mexico City. Mr. de Dios has been labelled "the biggest and most successful breeder of exotic birds in the world" and a successful business venture. It is reputed to have the largest parrot collection in the world.
However Antonio de Dios had also been heavily criticized by some conservationists for his commercial interests in the Spix's Macaw
Spix's Macaw
Spix's Macaw is the only member of the parrot genus Cyanopsitta. They are critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild The species is conserved through several breeding programs. It was found in Brazil, in parts of the Brazilian state of Bahia...
, one of the rarest birds in the world, despite his success in captive breeding the species. For example when he decided to donate some birds to other facilities Natasha Schischakin, a conservationist working on Spix's Macaw who is critical of private efforts, stated that "The owner of BII, Antonio de Dios offered to donate these birds to the reintroduction effort, but only with the establishment of rigorous protocols and involvement of his staff in the reintroduction program.".
Publications
M. A. R. (1996). "Protocol for red-vented cockatoo at Birds International Inc., Philippines" in European studbook for the red-vented cockatoo.See also
- Katala FoundationKatala FoundationKatala Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, non-stock and non-governmental organization and is active in protecting and conserving wildlife, particularly the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo or Red-vented cockatoo and other threatened endemic wildlife in the Philippines...