Last time I went to the Bronx Zoo, I saw a sign in the World of Birds.  It stated that for every parrot that is smuggled into the country, 10 die.  Later that day, I was looking for May holidays and saw this one.  It made me want to make a simple post with facts about the Illegal Parrot Trade:

• The illegal parrot trade is considered the third largest black market industry behind drugs and guns.  It makes around $10 billion every year
• Highly prized species, like the African Gray, have seen populations drop 90-99% in the wild.
• 2,600 species of bird are illegally traded and 20% of those are parrots.
• About 5 million bird are trafficked every year.
• 75-80% of smuggled parrots die from stress, disease, trauma, or asphyxiation.
• Southeast Asia, South America, and Central America are the biggest regions for illegal exports.
• United States, Middle East, and European Union are the highest regions for illegal imports.
• Nearly 1/3 of all 400 parrot species are at risk.
• The Azure Spix’s Macaw is extinct in the wild due to the illegal parrot trade.
• A study in 2007 found that 65,000-78,500 parrots were illegally traded internally in Mexico every year.  More than 75% of the birds died before reaching the buyer.
• The above study resulted in it now being illegal to buy, sell, and trade wild parrots in Mexico.
• The Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 protects exotic species from international trade to the USA.  It states that wild-caught birds can only be imported if done in accordance with species protection rules.
• The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species also protects certain species from being traded.  For example, several species of macaw are not allowed to be traded.

Parrot (Any parrot since they’re fun to watch)