It was at this point that I morphed from “Lyanda the Innocent Citizen Removing a Nonnative Bird from a Public Space” to “Lyanda the Starling Outlaw.” As it turns out, you may torture, maim, or murder a starling, but in Washington State, as in many states, you may not lovingly raise a starling as a pet. One of the ostensible reasons given by wildlife officials I spoke with was the prevention of propagation. There are already too many starlings, and people raising them as pets might eventually release the captive birds, making things worse.
“It was at this point that I morphed from “Lyanda the Innocent Citizen Removing a Nonnative Bird from a Public Space” to “Lyanda the Starling Outlaw.” As it turns out, you may torture, maim, or murder a starling, but in Washington State, as in many states, you may not lovingly raise a starling as a pet. One of the ostensible reasons given by wildlife officials I spoke with was the prevention of propagation. There are already too many starlings, and people raising them as pets might eventually release the captive birds, making things worse.”
Reference
Haupt, Lyanda Lynn (2017, Apr. 4). “Mozart's Starling” Kindle Edition. Chapter One, The Starling of Seattle, p. 20 of 264, 7%.
