African grey parrots are increasingly being illegally trafficked due to the growing demand for pets. It’s their beautiful feathers and uncanny ability to mimic human speech that make them a prized possession in many households.
Most animals captured by poachers don’t even survive long enough to become pets.
“Up to 60% of African grey parrots die between capture in the forest and transport to their final destination. Out of ten parrots, only four reach their final destination,” explains Patrick Muinde, Research Director at World Animal Protection.
To capture them, poachers use brutal methods. A sticky gum made from tree sap, spread on the branches, traps the parrots. To prevent them from flying away, the poachers then tear off their wings. Many parrots are injured or even killed.
The African Grey Parrot is mainly found in West, Central and East Africa, in countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
However, most illegally trafficked birds come from West Africa, where they live in the equatorial forests of countries such as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, according to the Worlds Parrot Trust.
The 2017 amendments to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora aim to ban all trade in these species. However, this ban is not really followed to the letter. Indeed, traffickers exploit loopholes in regional laws to pursue their activities.
The population of wild African Grey Parrots once numbered in the millions, but has now plummeted to around 100,000.
In some countries, such as Togo and Ghana, the species is already considered extinct, according to the World Parrot Trust.
