The illigal trade in African grey parrots is threatening the species in the wild : This Talking Bird Is Disappearing From the Wild
This article shocks me. I have seen wader 'smoke' on estuaries in winter and big starling murmurations, but the biggest flock of birds I ever saw was a flock of grey parrots which filled the sky just above the treetops. It seemed to take ten minutes to pass overhead. The noise was indescribable. This was on a main road through the forest just north of Kumasi in Ghana in 1976. Alan
And unfortunately at the last CITES meeting it was not decided to uplist the species to CITES I but instead new export quota were given to Cameroon. Such a disgrace.
And the worst about this is is that the species is bred in large numbers in captivity so its not neccecary to import them at all !
That's what I was thinking. But according to the article, a lot of sellers don't want to wait for their young parrots to mature to breeding age...
Most African Greys these days end up in Asia and even though there are some confiscations in Europe the numbers are nothing like the pre-import ban ones. And wild-caught birds do not breed must faster than captive-born ones (actually the contrary is the case) before a wild-caught birds is settled in captivity will also take you some years. Plus wild-caught birds are often very nervous and shy. Many pairs will become nest-box hiders, which ensures you will barely see them. In the past it was price that pushed people towards wild-caught birds as they were a lot cheaper, but if you want to breed better to use captive born birds.
More then 100 Grey's seized : over 100 African grey parrots seized in northern Congo – WCS Congo blog
When I regularly read Cage and Aviary birds (a weekly British nespaper for bird keepers) in nearly every issue there was, in the lost and found section at least one lost African grey, I often wonderd if they were ever found, and if not why we didn't have flocks of them here and there, like the parakeets around Surrey and London.
Aren't most large parrots pretty slow to breed? It would probably take a while for an African grey population to be established, unless a bunch of them were released/escaped at once.
Yes i think your right TMO i believe that is how we have so large a population of ring necked parakeets in and around london, as they say a few were released together and obviuosly stayed together .
There are quaker parrots where I live. (Texas coast, close to Galveston) First time I saw one I thought it was somebody's lost pet and tried to get close, but later I saw more and realized there must be a population. Did research, learned the species and why they're here.
Illegal trade continues : Saving the African grey parrot: the battle to beat the pet smugglers | Financial Times
From the Facebook-site of Belal Moheb Parrots Park : "Confiscated parrots fly free again over DR Congo forests... 39 African grey parrots were released on November 18th 2020 by Vice Governor of Sud Kivu Province Marc Malago and Director and Site Manager of Kahuzi-Biéga National Park De-Dieu Byaombe in Sud Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The first of its kind in the region, this project marks an important step towards permanently ending the wildlife trade for this imperilled species, threatened by decades of unsustainable trade. The grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) were confiscated by government officials in Sud Kivu and Maniema Provinces and taken to Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre. A rescue centre run by three partners: Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature ICCN + Centre de Recherches en Science Naturelles + CSRN and a team of international NGOs. When seized, many of the parrots were in poor condition, with wing feathers cut to prevent them from flying. Although Lwiro is foremost a primate rescue centre, with the support of international groups, they were able to build new facilities and provide high-quality veterinary care for the birds. Over many months the parrots were able to rebuild their strength to prepare them for their return to the wild. “This is an important landmark in the fight to end the illegal trade in endangered wildlife in the DRC,” said Itsaso Vélez del Burgo, Technical Director of Lwiro sanctuary. “The efforts of the DRC government are commendable, and we are very pleased they are taking this strong stand on behalf of wildlife.” Velez added, “collaboration has been critical to the success of this project, and we are deeply grateful to our partners, our core partner Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance and the World Parrot Trust who have supported this initiative financially and technically from the outset.” The international trade in African Grey parrots has caused wild populations to plummet threatening the species with extinction. The DRC has historically been one of the primary sources of grey parrots for the international market where they are sold as pets or used on breeding farms. They are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation as they breed slowly in the wild, and populations are unable to replenish."
