• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Some if Us Live With Wild Caught Parrots.................

Lady Jane

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/25/12
Messages
26,570
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Dianne
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
So heartbreaking to think what these birds went through. I've often said that I wanted to know Elvis's story, but maybe I don't.... :sad4:
 

Lady Jane

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/25/12
Messages
26,570
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Dianne
I was thinking of Elvis when I read this article. I cannot imagine how a wild bird would feel being captured and put into a cage for the rest of life. Of course some are fortunate enough to have understanding owners who do the best they can for the bird like you Michelle.
 

Clueless

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/3/12
Messages
24,021
Secret is horrified of the sound of a lawn mower or a leaf blower. She flies from het low playstand to the floor and heads for the security of her cage.

When stressed, she does loop after loop in her cage, down, across, up, across the top and down, across, up...... Doesn't matter if it's in the big cage or in the small travel cage, it's very obvious. Sometimes she will calm from just talking to her.

MC is wild caught too but isn't as bad. When he's stressed, he stands in a corner.

Either scenario breaks my heart.
 

Hankmacaw

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/18/09
Messages
1,000,001
Location
Arizona
Real Name
Mary Lynn Skinner
Hank was wild caught and came to the US in 1978. I got him when he was 18/19 years old. He had been terribly abused for the 10 years before that. He was the meanest bird I've ever met and would rather rip off one of my appendages as soon as look at me. It took five years, but we finally became best buddies. He had a real raucous sense of humor and was a trickster. I just couldn't see any left overs from him being wild caught, but lots from him being abused.
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
I was thinking of Elvis when I read this article. I cannot imagine how a wild bird would feel being captured and put into a cage for the rest of life. Of course some are fortunate enough to have understanding owners who do the best they can for the bird like you Michelle.
Thanks. I try. I think Elvis and I have a good relationship. I try as much as I can to let him be "Elvis". I think because he is wild caught he's pretty independent. He wants me to be where he can see me and he loves when we play catch, etc but he doesn't have a lot of the issues 'toos are known to have. He is a ball of energy though and keeps me on my toes. LOL.
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
As I was cleaning off my desk a bit ago, I came across a 2017 newsletter (yes, 2017, don't judge, LOL) from the National Aviary. Although the U.S. banned importing wild caught parrots, sadly the illegal trade continues. Per the article, 1.3 millions African Greys were captured for illegal trade within the last 20 years. And the nation of Ghana lost 90-99% of its African Grey population within the last 2 decades. :sad2: The capturing and importing of wild parrots is still a serious problem throughout the world.
 

Greylady1966

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/6/19
Messages
2,687
Location
midwest
Real Name
Carol
It comes down to making a buck off a parrot. It doesn't matter to them if they are killed, injured or totally wiped out. The only way they will quit the illegal trade is when there is none left and it will happen. They keep doing it even though shelters are full of parrots. I'm done venting.
 

Hankmacaw

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/18/09
Messages
1,000,001
Location
Arizona
Real Name
Mary Lynn Skinner
Always remember to mention that the USA enforces the no import laws and prosecutes anyone who is caught. There are a few who get through, but there just isn't a big demand here in the USA because we have a well developed commercial breeding industry. Our distribution systems are well developed and there is plenty of competition to keep the markets mostly honest. YES THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS, BUT NOTHING LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES.

Not much that any of us can do about poaching in Ghana, but we can keep our own house as clean as possible. In most countries where poaching is rampant, the populace is poor, very poor, and poaching whatever is a way to put food on their tables. It's the middlemen who make whatever money that is to be made.
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
Always remember to mention that the USA enforces the no import laws and prosecutes anyone who is caught. There are a few who get through, but there just isn't a big demand here in the USA because we have a well developed commercial breeding industry. Our distribution systems are well developed and there is plenty of competition to keep the markets mostly honest. YES THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS, BUT NOTHING LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES.

Not much that any of us can do about poaching in Ghana, but we can keep our own house as clean as possible. In most countries where poaching is rampant, the populace is poor, very poor, and poaching whatever is a way to put food on their tables. It's the middlemen who make whatever money that is to be made.
Yes, I guess I wasn't clear, the 1.3 million wasn't just for attempted import into the U.S., it was internationally. I'll actually give the exact quote (by Robert Mulvihill, "Keeping Wild Birds Wild"), "... in a recent 20 year span, more than 1.3 million wild-caught African Grey Parrots entered international trade. Factoring pre-trade mortality of greater than 50%, the total number of birds removed from the wild in that time likely exceed two million."
 

Greylady1966

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/6/19
Messages
2,687
Location
midwest
Real Name
Carol
I understand completely the rule of supply and demand. I also understand the USA has rules in place to help prevent the trade. They have the same with drugs. Unfortunately I do have first hand knowledge of how poor people are from Ghana. Some People who see what's happening with their wildlife in Ghana have tried to break the chain by offering jobs and education. It won't solve the problem but I truly hope it makes a difference some day.
 

Monica

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/18/10
Messages
11,253
Location
Hell, NV
Real Name
Monica
Sylphie certainly is no 'caged bird', but she does find safety in her cage. She would be much happier being free to fly as she chooses rather than being confined in a small space. I truly wish I had an outside aviary where she could choose to be if she wanted to....

Based on the information I was given, she was imported May of 2013, and likely wild caught.
 
Top