Yesterday I posted a short link to a video clip on Reuters UK which showed the shocking and inhumane conditions which a Brazilian wildlife smuggler was subjecting wild-caught parrots as he transported them illicitly out of the country in a small fishing-boat.

She has also kindly provided us with an article posted below which looks at the disturbing realities of the trade in wild animals.

‘Wilderness Lost: The Wild Bird Trade’
Monica Engebretson

Each year, thousands of parrots are taken from the wild to be sold as pets.

The initial shock of losing their freedom and being confined to a cage can kill many wild-caught birds. It has been estimated that 60% of wild-caught birds die before reaching international markets. Nicaraguan researchers estimate that to compensate for mortalities, up to four times as many parrots are captured than make it to market.

In fact, recognition of the unacceptably high rate of mortality among imported birds helped prompt the U.S. Congress to pass the Wild Bird Conservation Act in 1992.

Though the Act effectively reduced the United States from the largest importer of wild-caught birds to one of the smallest, parrots are still illegally smuggled into the U.S. across the Mexican Border each year. A rough estimate by Defenders of Wildlife suggests a range of 3,133 to 9,400 Mexican parrots are smuggled annually.

Smuggling has a detrimental effect on certain endangered species, which are some of the most sought after birds in the illegal trade Of the top ten Mexican species seized in the US, five are endangered species, two threatened, and one is special protection.

The demand for birds as pets or as breeding stock for captive-bred birds is the driving force behind the cruel trade in wild-caught birds. Because of lax enforcement, inconsequential penalties, and the great potential for financial gain, exotic animal traffickers and breeders frequently break the law. The illegal trade in wildlife is second only to that of drugs in the United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The popularity of birds as “pets” in the U.S. whether captive-bred or wild-caught influences global trends thereby influencing the global trade in wildlife species around the world.

Born to be Wild: Wild Bird Conservation

A paper by the Worldwatch Institute, Winged Messengers: The Decline of Birds, revealed that, “almost a third of the world’s 330 parrot species are threatened with extinction due to pressures from collecting for the pet trade, combined with habitat loss.” A 2001 study in the journal Conservation Biology entitled “Nest Poaching in Neotropical Parrots,” concluded that, “Poaching of parrots from the wild is an economic activity driven by a combination of the market demand for parrots as pets, the large profits to the pet industry, and the rural poverty in many countries with wild-parrot populations.

Replacing the demand for birds as “pets” with a demand for preserving the species in the wild will reduce inherent welfare problems associated with captive birds while increasing the support of conservation efforts such as ecotourism that helps local people and protects wildlife by allowing people to see that birds are more beautiful in the wild.

Walk on the Wild Side: Ecotourism

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council travel and tourism is projected to remain one of the world’s biggest industries, generating more than $3.5 trillion in economic activity annually; ecotourism is one of the most rapidly growing and dynamic sectors of the tourism market.

The Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.” When done properly, ecotourism is less destructive than many other environmental uses and its impacts can be managed to realize a balance between preservation and development. Such balance can be achieved by limiting the both the size and number of tours in a particular area and by incorporating environmentally conscience meals, lodging, waste management, and wildlife viewing principles into to the tours.

By creating economic incentives for impoverished villages or their communities, ecotourism can encourage local guardianship of natural resources, habitats, and wildlife.

It has been estimated that properly implemented ecotourism projects could help save 85 to 90% of the biodiversity in the neotropic (South America) and Indonesian realm and that wild parrots could become the “environmental heavyweights” when it comes to saving large tracks of tropical forests through wildlife viewing ecotourism.

Visit: www.bornfreeusa.org/mbw/a2b_ecotourism.php for information to consider when selecting an ecotour.

Born Free USA are also spearheading the “More Beautiful Wild” campaign - which ties in of course with the wild bird trade - and we’re reproducing here the text from a page entitled Birds In Retail:

Shopping with a Captive Audience?

Few people realize that when they shop at a store that sells birds they may be supporting cruelty. Although PetsMart and Petco have policies against the sale of cats and dogs, they continue to sell birds despite allegations of inadequate care and abuse and a growing number of unwanted birds. Birds are highly intelligent and active animals with complex social needs; they should not be treated like mere merchandise.

What’s wrong with selling birds?

• Retail environments encourage impulse buying, especially when animals are sold in conjunction with special promotions and discounts. Moreover, customers are rarely informed about the potential problems (noise, biting, aggression, self-mutilation, mess, etc.) when they are buying a bird. As a result, thousands of birds are purchased by inexperienced people, who soon find that a bird is not their ideal companion.
• Very few people are capable of meeting the special needs of exotic birds. Nor do they comprehend the seriousness of committing to care for birds for their entire life span - which can range from 20 to 70 years or more, depending on species. In consequence, many birds spend their lives isolated and confined to their cages, bounced from home to home, or abandoned.
• Currently, more than 90 self-described bird rescues or sanctuaries operate in the United States. Many of them have come into existence in the last few years to care for the influx of unwanted and abandoned birds. Selling more birds simply exacerbates this critical problem.
• Since the cost of veterinary care often exceeds the “value” of the bird, pet stores have little incentive to provide necessary care; their primary concern is the store’s bottom line.
• Some birds languish in pet stores for years before finding a permanent home. These birds often develop behavioral problems that further reduce their chances of finding a home.
• Breeding facilities that supply birds to pet stores often resemble little more than warehouses in which birds are held in barren cages for mass production.
• Please urge PetsMart and Petco to stop selling birds. Contact them directly PETsMART 1-800-738-1385 x2518 - Petco 1-800-765-9878

Each year millions of exotic animals are captured from the wild or produced in captivity for commercial profit or human amusement, only to languish in conditions that fail to meet the instinctive, behavioral, and physical needs of these wild animals. Born Free USA aims to reduce animal suffering by raising public awareness of the cruel and destructive exotic animal trade, by increasing legal protections for captive exotic animals, and by supporting efforts aimed at preserving wildlife’s rightful place in the wild. Learn more at www.bornfreeusa.org

Born Free USA united with API is an NGO participant at the Meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates commercial international trade of threatened and endangered species.