The Pet Trade Impact on endangered parrots

July 2022

By Foster Parrots Executive Director, Karen Windsor

Avian veterinarian and the head of One Earth Conservation, Dr. LoraKim Joyner gently folds her fingers around the baby to steady him as she presses her stethoscope against his body and listens. He is naked and smelly and the pin feathers are punching uncomfortably through his hot skin. There is much that can be learned from this exam, not only about the nestling’s health, but also about the health of the parents, the natural habitat and, ultimately, the human communities that share this environment with the birds. When the exam is over and the samples of blood and fecal matter have been taken, this little baby will be placed back into his nest along with his sibling. The nest will be monitored with the hope that the two will be raised here by their parents until they fledge, though this is not guaranteed because poaching in this area is a constant threat. These yellow-naped parrots (aka Amazon) babies are highly prized as pets, and with an estimated loss of 80%-99% of their total population throughout their range over the last 35 years (IUCN 2021), they represent one of the world’s most critically endangered parrot species.

One never imagines, when they purchase a baby parrot from a pet store or from a local breeder, that their purchase incentivizes the illegal poaching of parrots in the wild, resulting in the harm or death of thousands of baby and adult parrots. But it does. That legal purchase confirms the monetary value attached to parrots, which ultimately compels illegal trafficking and the extraction of birds from the wild. On a global scale, between two and five million birds of every species are ripped from their wild places annually. Up to 75% of trafficked parrots will die in transit because the conditions under which illegal transport is conducted are violent and torturous (Cantu, et al 2008).

But many baby parrots targeted by poachers never even make it that far. Poachers often cut down nest trees to access the chicks. Large numbers of these chicks die when their trees come down. If only 25% of poached parrots survive long enough to make it into homes as pets, then those who commercially promote parrots as pets and create the demand are on the hook for a mind-blowing number of dead birds.

Birds are the most abundantly trafficked of all wildlife on a global scale and 90% of trafficked birds are parrots (Furnell 2019). Illegal trafficking not only targets and exploits poverty in indigenous communities, but is also generally enmeshed with corruption and other violent criminal activities such as drug and weapons trafficking. These are the threats that collide with the lives and cultures of indigenous villages. In this respect, what harms the parrots also harms the people. In places like Honduras and Guatemala where macaws and Amazons are all but disappearing, some folks are confronting the violence and are risking their lives for their parrots. LoraKim Joyner recounts the story of her friend, Tomas Manzanares, an indigenous community leader in the village of La Moskitia in Honduras, who was shot four times in 2010 and nearly died trying to protect La Moskitia’s land, people and scarlet macaws. “Tomas showed me his scars and recovering wounds,” LoraKim says. “I asked him why he was willing to risk his life to return to help his parrots and he said, ‘Doctora, everything is at risk, and I’m willing to risk everything. If the birds don’t make it, neither do my people.’”(Joyner, Portillo-Reyes, 2018)

But not everybody survives. In 2020 Pedro Viteri Arriola, who worked with the NGO Alliance, COLORES, was murdered trying to protect an Amazon nest on his ranch in Guatemala. The chicks were taken. In 2021 in La Moskitia, parrot ranger, Narciso Montoya, was murdered as well (L. Joyner, blog 2021). Conservation organizations working in the field to confront the demand for parrots as pets live with the heartbreak of losing the parrots they love… and also the people they love.

These days the majority of parrots trafficked in Mesoamerica stay in Mesoamrica where the relationship of the people to their parrots remains an indelible aspect of their culture and where parrots have been kept as pets, used in rituals and medicine, harvested for their feathers, and even hunted for food for centuries (Cantu, et al 2006). But the rapid decline in flagship species like scarlet and great green macaws, yellow-naped parrots and yellow-headed parrots throughout their native ranges is astounding and deeply concerning. The IUCN Red List assessment of yellow-naped Amazons went from “of least concern” in 2004 to “critically endangered” in 2021, with remaining parrots now numbering only between 1000 and 2499 (IUCN 2021). As few as 1500 scarlet macaws (Central American subspecies m. cyanopterus) remain throughout their range from Mexico to Costa Rica. While trafficking into the U.S. has declined significantly over the past 3 decades, trafficking of parrots in their countries of origin and across borders into neighboring Mesoamerican countries continues to meet the demand. But is the dramatic decline in parrot numbers evidence of an increase in demand? Colum Muccio, Director of Development for the Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association in Guatemala, ponders the question. “We are getting fewer confiscated animals at our rescue centers, but is that due to less effort on the part of enforcement authorities (probably), or is there less trafficking (probably not) or is wildlife simply being wiped out? All this depends on the species. I think with the yellow-naped parrots we can pretty safely say…the animals are being wiped out. “

Also of concern to conservationists is the preservation of natural habitat sufficient to sustain wild parrot repopulation efforts. “Over the years, we have shifted from purely wildlife rescue and rehab to habitat protection,” Colum continues. “Why are we saving all these chicks if they don't have anywhere in which they can be released? Also, the wildlife trade is just such an incredible waste; so few animals make it to market. Wildlife rescue and rehab is so difficult, and probably only about 50% of the animals we receive are successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild to fulfill their role in the ecosystem. So we really need to focus on protecting habitat and busting traffickers.”

right to left: Yellow-naped Amazon parrot chicks in a nest in Nicaragua. Because of conservationists risking their well-being, this critical species has a chance to maintain its populations in some parts of its range; Poached parrots crammed in cages in Dominican Republic. This page, left to right: Dr. Joyner (on right) and a forest ranger examine an Amazon chick in Belize, temporarily removed from her nest to monitor health; The early years of the Rescue and Liberation Center in Mabita, La Moskitia Honduras when security concerns meant that the conservation team had to travel with military support. Unfortunately that is once again the case. Photos by One Earth Conservation unless otherwise noted.

The Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBC) of 1992 and the 2007 ban on the importation of wild-caught birds into the European Union dramatically reduced parrot imports into those markets, but like water around a stone, the trade in parrots has recalibrated and found alternative international pathways. Guyana and Surinam, the only two countries in South America that still legally allow the exportation of their wildlife, not only condone the trapping of their own birds, but they also serve as funnels for illegally trafficked parrots from neighboring countries, Brazil and Venezuela – and beyond. Western Asia, Africa and the Middle East continue to offer enthusiastic markets for parrots whether endangered or not, and many parrots exported from Guyana and Surinam oblige these markets (Chan, et al 2021).

Domestic parrot breeding exploded in the U.S. after the Wild Bird Conservation Act went into effect, transforming what had once been a cottage industry into one of the most lucrative of all exotic wildlife industries in the U.S., placing over 20 million parrots in American homes over the last 30 years (Statistica 2017). But curiously, this has not eliminated the smuggling of parrots across the Mexican border into the U.S. A 2007 study by Defenders of Wildlife revealed that over 100,000 parrots are smuggled into Mexico every year, and while most parrots captured in Mexico or trafficked there from other Central American countries remain in Mexico, an estimated 9,700 are illegally smuggled into the U.S. That’s still a lot of wild-caught parrots. And it’s mindboggling to think that parrots are still being smuggled into a country that is buckling under the weight of an overwhelming unwanted parrot problem.

Based in San Diego, SoCal Parrot, is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation and release of wild naturalized, non-invasive parrots of southern California. To further wild parrot conservation, education and protection, SoCal Parrot works with officials and confronts the tragedy of illegal trafficking across the border. When traffickers are apprehended and smuggled parrots are confiscated by officials, folks believe the parrots have been saved and there’s a happy ending to the story. That is generally not the case, and ultimately the rescue/confiscation itself becomes a part of the tragedy. Veterinarian, Dr. Patricia Latas, is a board member and advisor with SoCal Parrot, and her work now is focused on confiscated wild parrots, avenues to their recovery and rehabilitation, and supporting the success of naturalized wild parrots in the urban landscape. “It is difficult and often impossible to return poached parrots to the wild,” she explains. “These birds are far from home and have suffered unimaginably during capture, transport and smuggling techniques. Customs/Border Protection, USFWS, and USDA-APHIS officials do not have the manpower, resources or experience to care for the birds immediately on seizure, nor to rehabilitate following mandatory quarantine. Many non-endangered confiscated parrots are euthanized. Neonates are usually euthanized because officials don’t have the time, equipment, facilities and know-how to feed them. "

Janet Trumble, the Operations Director at Oasis Sanctuary in Arizona, also witnesses the tragedy of birds confiscated at the border. “Since we are in the region, we are so often contacted for birds coming up through Mexico,” Janet says. “Most of these cases are small seizures... one, two maybe three birds. Large seizures aren't seen as often at the Mexico border, at least not the numbers or regularity seen with the African species.” According to the NGO, Defenders of Wildlife, however, it can be assumed that successful seizures of parrots at the U.S. border represent only 1%-3% of the actual number of birds trafficked.

The consumer demand for parrots as pets is a call that’s heard around the world, ensuring there will always be a global market. But how can we love parrots without hurting them? LoraKim Joyner and I work at opposite ends of the same problem, and we meet in the middle to try to support one another through our devastation: she trying to reconcile the death and loss she experiences in the field as she fights to save parrots, me having hit my ceiling for seeing parrots in cages and witnessing the neglect, abuse, and degradation of their lives in captivity.

“I feel more strongly than ever that extractive economies with demand and consumerism fueling them are harming all of us at very deep levels,” LoraKim offers. “This goes beyond the politics of the trade and keeping parrots as pets. This is a basic existential threat to earth and her beings, including humans. Having a parrot in the home is a harmful behavior that seeks to repair the alienation we all feel. We want intimacy with the earth and we use birds in the home as a way to soothe our aching hearts. We have to find other ways.”

February 25, 2021

Phio's Story: a brave yet misunderstood soul

February 25, 2021/ Guest User

Written by Michaela Kennedy, Foster Parrots volunteer

Phiolena, (aka “Phio”), an orange-winged amazon, has had a long journey to find her happy place at Foster Parrots. Wild-caught and suffering a broken wing in her previous home, she made it to Foster Parrots in 2004. Phiolena was not human-bonded and did not show interest in many of the sanctuary birds. However, she did form a connection with an older Timneh African grey named Louie. She shared her life with him for 10 years until his passing in 2015.

Phio struggled following the loss of her mate, as one could imagine. She had first lost her freedom, and now lost her chosen companion as well. She fought with many of the other birds, and Foster Parrots staff was not able to immediately integrate her into another aviary.

One day, everything changed. I had brought my own African grey, Kongo, to the sanctuary on my volunteer day for a visit. He sat on a perch, not far from Phio’s cage. On that particular day, Kongo Bird flew over on top of her cage, and Phio started screaming. I rushed over to retrieve him.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that Phio had been trying to get Kongo’s attention, and he had finally become curious enough to fly over. I brought Kongo’s perch alongside her cage and, very carefully, allowed Phio out to explore. She climbed quickly out the door and headed with determination over to Kongo and the perch. What I saw at that point was surprising and delightful.

Instead of displaying aggression toward Kongo as expected, Phio started making a purring sound and her head feathers bloomed out. She had a crush on him! After a few weeks of meeting in this way, it was clear that Phio and Kongo were pals. Unfortunately, I did not have the ability to keep another bird in my home over the long term. I fostered Phio for almost a year, during which time Kongo and I worked together to teach Phio the ropes. Safe trips together outside, tasty treats and consistent training all helped to soften her heart towards me. This experience helped us learn that Phio had an affinity for African greys, and that she had the desire and ability to connect with humans, too.

Another volunteer resumed her care when I was no longer able to house her, and in her new home Phio found what she had been longing for since the loss of her original mate. She formed a wonderful bond with small Timneh African grey named Brutus. Brutus, Phio, and another Timneh grey Louise, now share an aviary at Foster Parrots.

During her time with me, I observed Phio wailing at the sight of flocks of wild birds outside our window. I realized that Phio not only remembered her freedom, but longed for it, too. Phio cannot be reintegrated into the wild. So many of the birds at Foster Parrots were wild-caught, and never should have lost their wild homes and their freedom. Foster Parrots makes every effort to enrich the lives of each resident and provide them with an environment as close as possible to what they may experience in the wild. For some birds like Phio, it takes time to discover what their needs are and how best to support them, but Foster Parrots staff creates individualized care plans and eventually finds the right spot for every bird that comes through their doors. The NEEWS is home to these animals, and our goal is to make it a home worth living in.

Daily Life

The Pet Trade Impact on endangered parrots

Written by Michaela Kennedy, Foster Parrots volunteer