Britain's most popular talking parrot, the African grey, is under threat, wildlife campaigners have warned.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), numbers of the parrot are declining in the 23 countries in which it is found as a result of the trade in wild birds.

As such trading quotas will have to be reassessed for the third time at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which opens tomorrow.

The RSPB believes that the African grey's decline is in part due to weak existing trade controls.

"The pet trade has been exploiting wild birds for decades yet the trade goes on with too little thought for its sustainability," said Duncan McNiven, senior investigations officer at the RSPB.

"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."

CITES records show that nearly 360,000 African grey parrots were legally traded between 1994 and 2003, with Europe being responsible for 93 per cent of this figure.

As a result of the decline the RSPB is advocating a permanent ban of the wild bird trade, and has drawn attention to the estimated one million birds which escaped a life in cages in European countries after the EU suspended wild bird imports following bird flu outbreaks.

"Local people rarely benefit when birds are exported from their countries with profits going to middle men and importers instead. The UK government and the EU as a whole is playing a major role in the decline of these magnificent birds and should do all it can to initiate a permanent ban," Mr McNiven added.

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news/science/talking-parrot-under-threat-$444122.htm

That is very interesting.

The EU is putting many regulations in place for the importation of birds from July 07. Currently there is a ban in place. For instance the birds have to be aviary bred, close banded or microchipped. Very strict rules will apply for the counrty of origin and quarantine establishments. Avian influenza, new castle disease and chlamidia have to be tested for and records kept etc. Wild caught greys will be protected under these new rules. Not many courtries will be able to export. South Africa will be able to export but must still compy with some EU rules on the issuing of health certificates. Strict minimum standards are going to apply with regard to breeding establishments. If anyone interested I can try copy paste the pages from the magazine but it is 2 printed pages long.

Wildlife Trade > FAQs

Parrot Trade
What are parrots? Why are parrots traded?
Parrots, or psittacines, are classified in the order Psittaciformes. There are approximately 330 species of parrots worldwide. Parrots most commonly live in tropical and semi-tropical regions, but they can be found all over the globe, from New Zealand to Cameroon to Brazil to Mexico. Commonly called parakeets, macaws, cockatoos, rosellas, amazons, conures, or lorikeets, all parrots are easily identified by a characteristic downward curving beak and, often, brightly colored plumage. Because of their beauty and intelligence, parrots are in great demand as pets.

Are parrots endangered?
According to the 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 94 of the world's parrot species are considered to be threatened with extinction, largely because of habitat loss and excessive capture for trade. There are more than 25 parrot species listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act, including the Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), the glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) from Latin America, the orange-bellied parakeet (Neophema chrysogaster) from Australia, and the thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) from the United States and Mexico.

Is the trade in parrots regulated?
Almost all of the world's parrot species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, an international treaty with over 160 member nations. Over 40 species are listed in CITES Appendix I, prohibiting all commercial international trade in those species. With the exception of three species, nearly all other parrots are listed in Appendix II of CITES, which regulates commercial trade through a permit system. CITES does not regulate trade in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) and the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), which are native to Australia. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri), native to West Africa, is listed by Ghana in CITES Appendix III, which also affords for regulation of trade through permits and certificates.

Many of the Appendix I-listed parrots are also protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are prohibited from import, export, and interstate commerce. In 1992, the U.S. government adopted the Wild Bird Conservation Act, which prohibits the import of almost all wild parrots for the pet trade, except from countries with approved management and conservation programs, or approved captive breeding facilities. Also, U.S. import regulations require a 30 day quarantine of all exotic birds at government approved stations to screen for health problems and to protect native birds and poultry from two very contagious diseases: psittacosis, also called parrot fever, which can be transmitted to humans and is potentially fatal; and exotic Newcastle disease, which can be fatal to domestic poultry and other bird species.

How extensive is the parrot trade?
Despite the difficulty and expense sometimes involved in keeping large parrots in captivity, amazons, macaws and cockatoos have become particularly popular in the United States. Globally, and locally, the parrot trade is extensive. From 1998 to 2000, the world trade in parrots totaled over one million birds. With stricter laws now in place in the United States, parrot imports have declined considerably and captive breeding has increased. Before passage of the Wild Bird Conservation Act, U.S. imports were substantial. In 1990, the United States imported 450,000 live birds, of which at least 150,000 were parrots. Today, roughly 17,000 parrots are imported into the United States each year; roughly 3,600 of these are taken from the wild. Other major parrot importers include Japan, the Netherlands, and Germany.

International trade in wild-caught psittacines remains a conservation concern. Indonesia, the Philippines, and a number of African countries, including Senegal, Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are among the major exporters of wild parrots.

What effect does U.S. Trade have on wild populations of parrots?
In the past, the vast majority of parrots imported into the United States came from wild populations. Depending on the species, mortality suffered prior to export was estimated in the early 1990s to range from 5 to 62 percent, which means that far more birds were removed from the wild for sale in the United States and other markets than was indicated by international trade data. Because large parrots such as macaws and cockatoos do not produce large numbers of offspring and cannot rebuild their wild populations quickly, excessive trade has been detrimental to the long-term survival of some species. The Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 was passed in response to the threat posed to these species by unsustainable harvest and trade. Today the vast majority of pet birds sold in the United States are captive-bred. Nevertheless, illegal trade in parrots to the United States continues.

Which countries export parrots to the United States?
Today, wild-caught parrots are rarely imported into the United States, since the Wild Bird Conservation Act only allows for the import of wild-caught birds from countries that have approved management plans. The vast majority of parrots imported into the United States have been captive-bred. Most of these captive bred species imported are Australian, Asian, or African species that are bred primarily in South Africa, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands.

How does illegal trade of parrots occur?
The illicit trade in parrots involves both smuggling and falsification of shipping documents. Often smuggled out of countries like Australia, Brazil, or Mexico where their export is restricted, parrots are brought into nearby trade centers where export is allowed or where falsified permits can sometimes be obtained. Parrots are also smuggled into countries with strict import and quarantine laws. In the late 1980s, an estimated 50,000 birds, mostly parrots, were smuggled into the United States each year, mostly across the vast U.S.-Mexico border. It appears that smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border is still a significant problem; some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Inspectors estimate that as many as 20,000 birds are smuggled from Mexico every year.

Can I buy a pet parrot without endangering wild parrot populations?
For consumers who wish to own a pet parrot, captive-bred species make the best choice because they are usually healthier and tamer than their wild counterparts, they generally enter trade legally, and they are less likely to constitute a drain on wild populations. Even with birds that are not protected by CITES, captive-bred specimens usually make better pets, since they are raised around humans. The two non-CITES regulated parrots-the budgerigar, or budgie, and the cockatiel-are widely bred in captivity. As U.S. imports of wild-caught parrot species decline, increasing numbers of captive-bred parrots are becoming available to consumers. Some common captive-bred species include the peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri), sun conure (Aratinga solstitailis), and blue and gold macaw (Ara ararauna).

__________________

When all is done that is asked from me and I can fly no higher, I pray this day his hand extends to welcome home a flyer.
Author : http://www.pigeonrescue.com/
Website:http://pigeonworld.informe.com/index...e3a2a754004832
Watch: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...29577913622678
Sign: http://www.all-creatures.org/alert/alert-20070124.html
E-Mail tallship30@yahoo.com

I'm certainly glad we have you at PC!
I think its so neat that your from Africa!
If you can copy and paste without a problem I would like to see it.
If its a hassle, dont worry aobut it!

I'd also like to read that also, if you can do it.

Arty, this info surprised me. I had always felt the exporting was a double edged sword and the poor people were doing this as a way to feed their families.

I have attached scan of the pages. Sorry if the quality is poor I had to shrink till it gets small enough.

This was printed in Avizandum - march 2007

Attached Images

	eu reg page 1.jpg (131.9 KB, 2 views)
	eu reg page 2.jpg (137.0 KB, 2 views)