BIOGRAPHY OF MARK HAGEN
Mark Hagen is the Research Director at The Hagen
Avicultural Research Institute (HARI). He has a Master of Agriculture from the
University of Guelph and specialized in Psittacine Aviculture. In his Bachelor
of Science, Mark concentrated on nutrition and zoology and attended a semester
at the University of California, Davis taking courses in cage bird medicine,
nutrition and avian science. It has been more than ten years that he has been
studying companion birds; writing his first paper on parrot breeding in 1983 and
establishing HARI in 1985.
Following five years of experience housing birds indoors in a converted
warehouse, Mark designed the new HARI facility in Rigaud, Quebec in 1989.
This facility incorporates the latest techniques in environment control.
Presently his research includes nutrition, and the influence of
temperature, humidity and light cycles on breeding. Mark also speaks
French and German and is making connections with European aviculturalists
in order to trade captive bred birds for a wider gene pool.
Conservation is one of his most important concerns. He gives talks to
school children on the importance of rainforests and has bought over 100
acres of rainforest through the World Wildlife Fund of Canada. One of his
highlights with parrots was to go on an Earthwatch expedition to Amazonia
in southeastern Columbia and see several species of parrots including
nesting Scarlet Macaws and an undescribed species of Toucan.
The humane care of animals has always been important to Mark and for
that reason he was against the mass importation of parrots for the pet
trade but does see a role for limited trade in properly handled
sustainable harvests of common birds. He can not understand how countries
such as Australia would allow their farmers to kill thousands of Cockatoos
rather than let Aviculturists around the world have access to them.
Mark attended the 1987, 1989 and 1994 Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES) meetings in Ottawa, Canada, Lausanne,
Switzerland and recently in Fort Lauderdale, USA. CITES is trying to
ensure that sustainable levels of trade in wild-caught parrots are
achieved. This should give an incentive to Tropical Countries to preserve
the habitat that supports this natural resource. A firm believer in this
philosophy, Mark would like to assist these countries in captive breeding
their own species of tropical birds.
Mark is a firm believer in sharing his experiences and knowledge. He
has published dozens of papers relating to the work at HARI i.e. egg
incubation, oil and nutrition, formulated diets, husbandry and sanitation
disease control, cage design, ventilation, pediatric care... Several of
these have been presented at many of the avicultural conferences held
every year throughout the USA and Canada.
The science of breeding pet birds in captivity is still very young. The
costs associated with the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines for
various exotic diseases at Universities is not being fulfilled.
Understanding the importance of this type of research has lead Mark to
contribute at least five thousand dollars worth of product and gifts to
three major fund raising events every year for the past two years. Mark is
auctioneer and assists with the auctions at the Mid-West Avian Research
Expo, International Avicultural Society, American Federation of
Aviculture, and the Canadian Parrot Symposium.
