African Grey parrot numbers in steep decline due to wild bird trade.

The African grey parrot, one of the world’s most popular pets, is declining in many of the twenty three countries where it occurs and may be placed on the official ‘red list’ of threatened birds.

At a Cites meeting in July (2006) the birds plight will be reviewed for the third time. The RSPB believes that trade controls are not strong enough. Europe is responsible for ninety three per cent of the trade in CITES-listed birds and the RSPB wants the UK and other EU countries to ban bird imports unless there is proof that wild bird populations are stable.

Duncan McNiven of the RSPB said: ‘The pet trade has been exploiting wild birds for decades yet the trade goes on with too little thought for its sustainability. The plight of the African grey reflects the state of the bird trade as a whole and as the world’s major importer of wild birds, the EU should now be banning imports of all wild birds.’

 

 

Research conducted by the RSPB shows that more than ninety per cent of the UK and German population disapprove of the wild bird trade. The trade was halted by the EU last year after imported wild birds died of bird flu while in quarantine in Essex; the RSPB estimates that the ban has saved more than 1,000,000 birds.

The African grey is one of some 3,000 different bird species sold as pets. It is popular for its ability to talk.

Records show that around 350,000 African grey parrots were traded legally between 1994 and 2003. But these figures don’t allow for smuggled birds and they also ignore the many thousands that die in transit, which can be double the number sold.

Duncan McNiven stated: ‘There is now no sense in allowing the bird trade to continue. It is bad for wild birds, it is unpopular with people and it has already brought bird flu to Britain. Local people rarely benefit when birds are exported from their countries with profits going to middle men and importers instead. A permanent ban would not stop pet owners keeping these birds. Parrots bred in captivity make much better pets and are better suited to life in a cage than birds caught in the wild.’

Courtesy of the RSPB.