Sacramento's fourth annual bird show, Aves: A Celebration of Birds in Art, will be held this Saturday, January 10 from 6-10pm. This local art show is part of the National Bird Day events, which raise awareness of the plight of birds in captivity and in the wild. This fundraiser for Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute will be held at Body Tribe located at 920 21st Street in Midtown Sacramento.

Each year, millions of birds are captured from the wild or produced in captivity for commercial profit or human amusement, only to languish in conditions that fail to meet the instinctive behavioral and physical needs of these wild animals. The focus of National Bird Day is to raise public awareness of these birds' conditions. The goal is to foster a commitment to improve the lives of birds in captivity and to support efforts aimed at protecting birds in the wild.

Monica Engebretson, Senior Program Associate for Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute further shares that, “National Bird Day is not only a good time to appreciate the native wild birds flying free outside our windows, it is also a perfect time to reflect on how we treat the native birds of other countries. While we have enacted laws to protect our native birds -- such as blue jays, cardinals, and crows -- from commercial exploitation, we fail to recognize the inconsistency in allowing the pet industry to exploit the birds of other countries.”

Sadly, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century and millions of captive birds lead miserable lives languishing in cages. Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute strives to change those staggering statistics through various community awareness events such as the annual Bird Show, the annual Circus Show & Other Atrocities, and the upcoming fur free fashion competition in coordination with E-magazine.

Participating artists in the Sacramento Aves: A Celebration of Birds in Art show include: Alison Murphy, Ben Poulson, Caia Koopman, Carol Rogala, Char Hall, Cheryl Root, Craig Martinez, Cy Wylie, Evie Turner, Krissi Sandvik, Laurelin Gilmore, Mark Fox, Melodee Strong, Nicole Fox, Olivia E. M. Hansen, Steve Offerman, Sue Dedina, Tj Lev, and many others. Each artist will donate a portion of their art sales to Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute.

Aves: A Celebration of Birds in Art
Benefiting Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute
Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 6-10pm
Body Tribe @ 920 21st Street (between I & J)

For additional information, visit http://www.bornfreeusa.org and http://www.nationalbirdday.com.