Parrots of War

In the midst of a horrendous civil war, amid the black market for fuel, cigarettes, guns, and bombs, there seems to be a thriving black market for parrots. Yes, parrots! In spite of civil war, strife, and turmoil, people seem to be inexorably drawn to parrots.

This story, Turkish army seizes parrots, budgies on Syria border, in its entirety, was published by Reuters, February 5, 2016:

ISTANBUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Turkish army has confiscated 700 parrots and 294 budgerigars on the border with Syria, it said on Friday, as its tighter security measures ensnare what was once a thriving trade in domesticated birds.

NATO member Turkey has stepped up security along its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria as it tries to prevent foreign fighters joining Islamic State militants and defend itself against spillover from the country's civil war. But the measures, including more frequent border patrols and reinforced fencing, have also shut off what was long a thriving illicit trade in goods including fuel, cigarettes, sugar and, it seems, birds.

"They were generally bringing Sultan, Love and Paradise parrots. Here in Turkey a Paradise parrot goes for 1,000 lira, but they were bringing them over for 500," said Mehmet Turan, a bird breeder in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli. "It's the same for lovebirds. We were selling them at 25 lira retail, but they came from Syria at 12.5 to 15," he told Reuters by telephone.

Some basic goods like sugar sold for around half the price in Syria, where it was produced, than in Turkey before the war. Fuel is heavily taxed in Turkey, meaning the black market for illegal diesel, however crudely refined, also thrived.

Turkey has won international praise for its humanitarian response to Syria's war, maintaining an open door policy to those fleeing the violence and taking in more than 2.5 million refugees over almost five years. But it is under pressure from Europe to stem the flow of migrants and from NATO allies to do more to secure the border. While continuing to allow in refugees at border crossings, the Turkish army has been detaining those trying to cross illegally on an almost daily basis.

It said it detained almost 800 people on Thursday, and seized 2,660 packets of cigarettes, three cattle and a mobile phone along with the birds.

Wild Parrots Should Stay Wild!

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...
on the infinite highway of the air.
Wilbur Wright

Recently Audubon Magazine summarized the illegal parrot trade still ongoing today:

The business of exotic pets is poorly regulated and enormously profitable: Interpol values the illegal animal trade at $10 billion dollars, placing it just behind guns and drug trafficking in profitability. This illicit industry is believed to have contributed to the threatened status of 66 parrot species and the extinction of brilliant blue Spix’s Macaw.

At the least the illegal parrot trade threatens the biodiversity of parrot species, and at worst may result in the extinction of many parrot species within our lifetimes!

Mr. Cracker is a wild-caught Ruby macaw believed to be about 40 years old. Does Mr. Cracker dream of flight when he's flapping his wings in the house?

For too many parrots the gruesome reality of the companion parrot trade is a transport box at the hands of wildlife poachers with small chance of survival!

Wild parrots should stay wild! The best way to preserve wild populations of parrots is to halt the commercial breeding and sales of companion parrots. The companion parrot market only encourages the poaching of wild parrots. We have a simple credo when it comes to companion parrots:

Parrots: Don't Breed! Don't Buy! Adopt!

For me, the sight of a Parrot living alone, living in a cage, deprived of flight and miserably bored, breaks my heart. And the Parrot's too perhaps.

Dr. Jane Goodall.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The parrot rescue effort needs an anthem, and no song seems to us more appropriate to the parrot rescue effort than Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Too often abused and rescued parrots only find relief and solace after crossing over the Rainbow Bridge.


Somewhere Over the Rainbow is Judy Garland's signature song, written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg and first sung for the 1939 movie Wizard of Oz.

Our favorite version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is this one by the late great silver-tongued Hawaiian singer Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole (1959-1997). We love watching this big guy (he weighed over 750 pounds) play that little ukulele! "IZ" overcame adversity in his life to become considered one of the fifty greatest voices ever by National Public Radio. His anthem provides a ray of hope and cheer for those of us who deal with ugliness and sorrow in our work with companion parrots!

The Captive Bird Campaign

Parrots are not like dogs and cats, with 10,000 years of domestication behind them. Simply put: Parrots are wild animals! Wild animals should stay in the wild. Like raptors, parrots are not animals that are suitable to be pets. People can not simply walk into PetSmart and buy a hawk or a falcon. Ownership of raptors requires specialized training, education, and licensing. Why should parrots be treated any differently?


Regarding companion parrots, we have a simple credo:

Parrots: Don't Breed! Don't Buy! Adopt!

We understand that tens of millions of companion parrots will never be returned to the wild. But there is absolutely no reason to keep breeding and selling hand-raised companion parrots. We firmly believe that the commercial breeding and sale of companion parrots needs to be halted, at least for any parrots that are listed as Threatened or Endangered by CITES. Therefore, we heartily endorse The Captive Bird Campaign:

The Captive Bird Campaign is launched by the California-based animal rights organization In Defense of Animals (IDAUSA). The goal of the Captive Bird Campaign is simple:

Our goal is to help create a better world for parrots by stopping the exploitation and sale of parrots in chain stores such as PetCo, PetSmart, and Petland. Helping the public understand that parrots are wild creatures who do not belong in captivity will reduce the sale of parrots. This will ultimately decrease the number of unwanted and homeless parrots and prevent unnecessary suffering.

Parrots rank only behind dogs and cats in popularity as pets. Considering the potential lifespan of parrots, companion parrots will be with us for some time to come. We only ask: If you are considering acquiring a companion parrot, please:

Don't Breed! Don't Buy! Adopt!

Animal Trafficking in Mexico, Around the World, Endangers Parrots and Other Animals

Here is something to consider the next time someone says that parrot and wildlife smuggling is a thing of the past:

The Defenders of Wildlife in Mexico said, “It is estimated that between 65,000 to 78,000 parrots are caught illegally every year and from them, 77 percent die before they arrive in to the hands of a buyer. The mistreatment these animals suffer explains the high mortality rate.”

Animal Trafficking in Mexico, Around the World, Endangers Animals - Hispanically Speaking News

Sadly, we will see the extinction of many wild parrot populations within our lifetimes!

The Commercial Parrot Trade Needs To Be Stopped!

And this is why: