Bird Banter

Parrot Behaviour Workshop - Sydney

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:57:00 GMT

Entry Fee: $95.00

WILD FOREST RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO HATCHED IN THE CITY OF PERTH!

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:30:00 GMT

An endangered Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo was found in a custom designed nestbox placed high in a Perth suburbia white gum tree. In 2009 the Murdoch University planted vegetation to attract the birds and have since put up 11 nestboxes. This is the first known hatch!

Katherine Fleming from The Western Australian (14.07.11) reports ‘the red-tailed cockatoos, unique to the south-west, only number between 10,000 and 12,000 and are more endangered than the more well-known Carnaby’s black cockatoo’.

For more story click here http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/news/9845014/rare-bird-hatches-in-suburban-perth/

Donations Required to Save Birds Who Were Bound for Illegal Trade

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:38:00 GMT

On July 1, Echo intercepted 112 parrots and parakeets bound for illegal trade. The Bonaire native birds were bound for Curacao to be sold in the pet trade. The Yellow-shouldered Amazons and Brown-throated Parakeets are currently being cared for by Echo staff. Over 90 babies require one-on-one care consisting of hand feeding formula. The starving birds had not eaten for days. Donations are required to assist Echo’s intensive efforts to save the parrots. With enough funding, all the birds will be nursed back to health and re-released into the wild.

Thanks to outstanding global support, $20,491 has been raised so far (12 July 2011). You can donate from as little as:

- - $25 will provide one days worth of bird food

- - $50 will provide one cubic metre of release aviary

- - $90 will cover one day of operational costs

- - $215 sponsors one parakeet

- - $475 sponsors one parrot

- - you can nominate any other amount

Donate Here http://www.razoo.com/story/Savebonaireparrots

Picture taken from www.razoo.com

STOLEN BUDGERIGARS!

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:21:00 GMT

Following is a list of Budgerigars stolen from NSW Open Breeder Wally Capper's Aviary, if anyone tries to sell you any of these birds please contact the Australian Budgerigar Society at www.absbudgieclub.org.au.

Ring Number               Sex        Colour and Variety
CBC 08 WAL 152        C            Sky Blue Normal
CBC 09 WAL 128        H            Sky Blue Cinnamon Opaline
CBC 10 WAL 131        H            Light Green Spangle Dominant Pied
CBC 09 WAL 072        H            Greygreen Cinnamon Spangle Dominant Pied
CBC 08 WAL 008        C            Greygreen Opaline Spangle
CBC 10 WAL 097        C            Dark Green Spangle
CBC 09 WAL 038        H            White Lacewing
CBC 08 1022               C            Sky Blue Yellow-faced Spangle

STOLEN BIRDS!

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:44:00 GMT

One African Grey and one Blue & Gold Macaw

Both handreared

Stolen from Crystal Pet & Wire Centre in Rooty Hill NSW on March 2, 2011.

Anyone that can assist with locating these birds or with any information please Phone (02) 9625 9170

FLOOD AFFECTED BIRD AND ANIMAL KEEPERS NEED YOUR HELP!

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:38:00 GMT

What a way to start 2011!

Nevertheless, we have some serious work to do to assist those who have not been as fortunate as others. ABK has offered our services at our office to be a centre for the collection and recording of all information pertaining to those bird keepers who have suffered adversely, have lost birds and are in need of assistance due to the recent floods, particularly in Queensland.
We have all seen the media coverage however it is not until you actually speak to the victims that you truly realise the devastation left behind. Fireman Peter Derges who was sent in with the military and police to the Grantham and Helidon region described the scene as ‘surreal’. Words could not be found by many to describe the aftermath, particularly in areas that—as we went to press—had not been exposed to general media.

As an example I spoke to Ross Bussion of Murphy’s Creek, Queensland, who with his wife Karen and their five children is thankful to be alive. A family of bird lovers living on 10 acres, they lost 1000 poultry including special bloodlines such as Sussex, Orpington, Large Bantam, Silkie and more—most were chicks aged 4–22 weeks and breeders. Ross and Karen also had hundreds of other birds and around 200 parrots. Apart from their house they also lost six conventional and suspended aviaries, sheds and stables.
Other species lost included quail, pheasants, Mandarin Ducks, exotic and Australian Finches, lories and lorikeets including Yellow and Red Phase Dusky Lories, Purple-crowned, Little and Varied Lorikeets, Swift Parrot chicks, Eclectus, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo adults and young.

Ross found some losses very hard to handle such as the drowning of a Western Australian Long-billed White-tailed Black Cockatoo and the complete removal of a flight of eight suspended aviaries and their inhabitants including Nanday, Sun, Janday, Pearly and Pineapple Green-cheeked Conures. Although Ross concedes that his was not the worst case he gave permission for us to present his losses in support of relating to others the extent of loss and subsequent need for support. Wombaroo Passwell™ came to the party quickly by sending Ross 20kg of Complete Lorikeet™ to assist him in feeding his remaining 48 pairs and young lories and lorikeets.

Another scenario was that experienced by Mark Tully from Helidon, Queensland. Mark is a specialist keeper of rare and heritage animal breeds who lost 75% of his collection including rare breeds of poultry, ducks, geese, turkey, guineafowl, partridge and quail. Other animal losses included rare goats and some extremely rare pig breeds including Wessex Saddleback, Tamworth and Large Black Devon. The loss of some of these breeds will have a significant impact on the preservation of original bloodlines in these breeds.

Mark described the wall of water that impacted his area as measuring approximately 6 metres tall by 2 km wide—a force impacted with no warning. Mark is in need of fencing infrastructure—he lost 5 acres of 1.8 metre high heavy gauge mesh fences and the various paddocks within this area constructed from hinge joint fencing.
Another well-known Queensland bird keeper, Gary Stuhmcke, lost 60% of his collection—a loss of up to 200 birds including Gang Gang and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos, Alexandrines, 15 pairs of Red-rumps, 40 Eastern Rosellas—a considerable dent in this special collection—Plum-heads, Violet Indian Ringnecks, Sun Conures, Malabars and his new interest—Miniature Belted Galloway cattle.
Fortunately Gary’s aviaries survived, but like many he has doubts about any insurance compensation for the loss of home contents and structural damage.

This wild water has also affected people in Victoria however as we finalised for press we had not received any notices of bird losses.
Thank you to those who have been brave enough to share your experiences in an effort to communicate your loss and pain. Our family is one built on the love of a mutual hobby—birds and other animals. If you have anything to offer as support please send the details to us in writing via email birdkeeper@birdkeeper.com.au or fax 07 5590 7130 for us to record.

The Queensland Finch Society, Finch Society of Australia, National Finch and Softbill Association, various Bird Clubs in South-east Queensland and Victoria are all supportive of receiving reports of hardship and of pledges of assistance to correlate with that which we at ABK receive.

Pledgers of assistance will be contacted in due course when the infrastructure is established to best handle and distribute your support.

Or you may prefer to donate directly to the Qld Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal on phone 1800 219 028 or the Red Cross Victorian Floods Appeal 2011 on phone 1800 811 700.

Keep safe and stay strong.

Sheryll Steele-Boyce

This photo was taken near Helidon, QLD by Peter Derges who described the scene as surreal. The mass of water had ripped over this creek bridge gauging out the land and destroying the road.

Aggression in Aviculture

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:59:00 GMT

Aggression in Aviculture
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER ODEKERKEN

As Published in Australian BirdKeeper Volume 23 Issue 6 Dec/Jan 2011

I’m not talking about aviculturists not seeing eye-to-eye. This article relates to the challenges we face when keeping birds and will hopefully help to prevent or at least minimise mishaps occurring.
I’m sure that most experienced aviculturists would have had to cope with aggression at one stage or another. One important consideration when purchasing species is whether or not they are aggressively inclined—such as lories and lorikeets, the Psephotus group, broad-tailed parrots such as Rosellas and Australian Ringnecks and, in the case of finches, the Crimson and Black-throated.
Of course there are individuals in passive species that can be even more aggressive and we will generally see this behaviour at some time or other. White Cockatoo species can be violators to the extreme where a compatible and often known breeding pair, for example, have a dispute which results in the male either maiming or killing his mate. As you can imagine these experiences are not pleasant to encounter and, while there are no set practices that will definitely stop aggression, there are ways to minimise it—some of which I hope to cover in this article in an effort to save aviculturists from heartache.
No doubt readers will have overcome these problems in a different manner to what is discussed here and I would encourage readers to send a few lines to ABK on their own experiences—your contribution could help newcomers and experienced bird keepers alike to avoid disappointment.
If for instance you were to purchase a pair of Red-rumped Parrots Psephotus haematonotus it is likely that both the male and female birds would be aggressive towards other species in the aviary or birds in adjoining flights. Therefore a solution—and this holds true for all known aggressive species—is to house them separately and use double-wire netting with a gap of at least 25mm between. Although this can be a more expensive way of keeping birds the rewards and comfort of not fearing for other species far outweigh this cost.
Breeding in this way also reduces conflict and results will be better—although in some cases breeding results can actually be impaired when housing birds in this fashion as well. Closely related or similarly aggressive species often hang on the wire and bicker with the adjoining aviary occupants instead of getting on with reproduction. Therefore, it is better to place species that have little tendency to fight next to an aggressive species—such as Red-rumps next to a pair of Princess Parrots than perhaps a pair of Hooded Parrots beside a pair of Regent Parrots. Where possible you may also be able to place more space between aggressive species.
Double-wire can be replaced by solid partitions of metal sheeting however I don’t favour this system as many aviculturists experience hot summers where solid partitions can make conditions very uncomfortable for your birds and reduce breeding opportunities by stressing them unnecessarily. In some instances minor interaction between neighbouring pairs can actually stimulate breeding.

Eco Tourism—New Way To Holiday in North America

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:44:00 GMT

Wildlife And Eco Tourism—The New Way To Holiday in North America

Bird watching or a birding and wildlife tours are a nature lover’s favorite activity. The wonderful species of animals will excite and delight you. You will gain an infinite amount of knowledge and perspective by learning more about the wildlife species.

Going on a bird watching and wildlife trip are the ultimate dreams of any nature enthusiast. There are some amazingly lovely species of birds and animals out in the wilderness waiting to be seen and admired. Whether you are recent bird watcher or a veteran, every such trip is sure to exhilarate you. It is better to choose an organized tour with other like minded enthusiasts. Such tours are guided by an expert birder who has a command of the local fauna and geography. Customized tips are ideal for wildlife and bird clubs.

Wild life and eco tourism are capturing people’s imagination like never before. More and more people are attracted towards watching endangered species and delicate ecological systems. They are interested to discover for themselves the natural habitats of animals and birds. More families are opting so see a wildlife sanctuary or a national park as part of their holiday itinerary. Children can have both fun and education at a wildlife preserve.

Generally, most bird watching tour companies classify the tours according to the topography and geography of the area. North America is usually divided into foothills, mountainous birds and prairie birds. Such clearly divided trips are designed to give you a more defined knowledge about the birds of a particular area. It is a given that you will also get to experience the beautiful scenery and fragile ecosystems occupied by the rare species of the birds.

These professionally organized tours are guided by qualified and experienced ornithologists and biologists who are an authority on a wide range of birds and wild life. The varied and colorful wildlife of the USA includes Bison, Elk, Mountain Goats, Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep and Grizzly Bear. The birding tours are not necessarily limited to bird watching only. You can find out about the other aspects of the nature tour from the tour companies. They cover a wide range of flora and fauna. These tours are organized for the economy traveler also. It is a myth that the wildlife tours are exorbitantly priced. You can easily find the tour which fits your budget and allows for sufficient sight seeing.

Spotting the migratory birds brings great joy to birding enthusiasts. There are migratory hotspots on both the east and the west coast. So, you can make a nature trip irrespective of your geographic location in the country. The fall is the season to spot migratory birds on the east coast. The Great Blue Herons, the Broad Winged Hawks, the Falcon and the plover are some of the feathered wonders that flock the Cape May, New Jersey.

The USA itself is a home to some of the most amazing national parks and wildlife preserves. These destinations are family friendly with reasonably priced lodgings and restaurants. You can take boat tours to watch the aquatic life in action. The wildlife preserves are the places to go if you want to see the cheetahs, giraffes and elephants. The safari tours facilitate a close and good look at the wild animals. Some of these animals are natives of Africa and Asia but you will get to see them right here in the USA. The marshes of the USA are home to a lot of species of amphibians and reptiles. Head to the Everglades National Park in Florida to see alligators, crocodiles, turtles, bobcats and a lot of snake species. Canoe rides are provided to more adventurous visitors.

The Banff national park in Alberta with its magnificent wildlife is a family friendly place. Children and adults will have a great time spotting elks, mountain goats and big horn sheep among other animals. You can also enjoy rafting, hiking, fishing and horse back riding here. The Yellowstone national park in Wyoming is another popular getaway where you can witness the wildlife in its full glory. Plan your next vacation in the great outdoors with your family where your children will not only have fun but will also learn to appreciate and conserve the nature.

There are also some great holiday ideas in Australia. For info on Bird Tours contact birdkeeper@birdkeeper.com.au

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New Species of Bird Discovered, Named After Conservationist Family

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:48:00 GMT

Alonso Quevedo; President of Pro Aves, Rita Fenwick; VP of Development for ABC, George Fenwick; President of ABC, and David Caro; Exec. Director of ProAves. Photo: © ABC

Source and Photo by American Bird Conservancy / ProAves Columbia - May 20, 2010

A new species of bird for science has been discovered and named after a leading conservation family. The new species of antpitta, native to Colombia, South America, was announced last night in a ceremony at the residence of the Colombian Ambassador, Carolina Barco. The bird is named Fenwick’s Antpitta (Grallaria fenwickorum), after American Bird Conservancy (ABC) President George Fenwick and his family.

The announcement was made after a comprehensive two-year study and review process following the bird’s discovery in 2008. The capture and evaluation process itself was remarkable in that it is one of the first times that a new species for science has been described from an individual captured, banded, measured, photographed, sampled for DNA, and then released alive back into the wild.

“I am deeply honored by this naming. I know it reflects in equal parts on the contributions of both my family and the ABC organization, both of which have sought to further bird conservation efforts in Colombia,” Dr. George Fenwick said. “I am especially pleased that this effort was achieved without the loss of the bird’s life. Rare and special birds such as this should not have to be sacrificed to this process,” he added.

Fenwick's Antpitta. Photo: ©Fundacion ProAves

“Your family and ABC have done much in the last 15 years in the name of Colombian bird conservation, and I look forward to continued great accomplishments in the decades to come,” said Ambassador Barco.

The bird that provided the so-called “holotype” for the description was captured in the Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve located on the Paramo del Sol massif in the western Andes of Colombia. The reserve is managed by Fundación ProAves – Colombia’s leading conservation organization and an ABC partner. The 11,322 acre reserve, founded in 2005, is known for a stunning array of threatened birds, including the Critically Endangered Dusky Starfrontlet that was rediscovered in 2004 after being “lost” for over 50 years, and which provided the initial impetus for the Fenwick family’s support to establish the bird reserve.

The new bird species inhabits a highly restricted area of montane cloud forest where dwarf bamboo thickets thrive on rich volcanic soils on the less-humid eastern-facing slopes; a habitat that has undergone extensive clearance for pasturelands in recent decades. The bird has been proposed as Critically Endangered under IUCN-World Conservation Union criteria, with a population described as extremely small and of great conservation concern, making it a priority for ABC.

Fenwick’s Antpitta is a medium-sized, cinnamon and gray colored, thrush-like bird, with a height of about seven inches, and a weight of only about two ounces. G.fenwickorum is distinguished from its nearest relative – the Brown-banded Antpitta – by complete lack of a brown breast band (with the breast instead being uniform slate gray) and lighter brown dorsal plumage. Its vocalizations are also distinct. The bird is shy, spending its time foraging on insects in the leaf litter, occasionally ascending to sing from bamboo stands.

The complete 21-page description of the species is available at www.proaves.org/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=451. The authors provided special recognition to the Fenwick family – George, his wife Rita (ABC’s Vice President for Development) and their children Cyrus, Sarah, and Rachel of The Plains, Virginia – as a “…..force for conservation in the USA and across Latin America, especially Colombia. Importantly, the Fenwick family dedicated their own personal resources to support Fundación ProAves to buy and save the 731 hectares [1,820 acres] of Paramo del Sol, establish the Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve and funded the research that led to this discovery. This commitment to bird conservation has saved many bird species.”

George Fenwick received a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Johns Hopkins University. He created American Bird Conservancy in 1994. Among the significant number of conservation achievements made by ABC under his direction are: the creation of The Latin American Bird Reserve Network that to date consists of 41 reserves dedicated to the protection of many of the rarest bird species on Earth; success in influencing federal and state land management decisions affecting birds on hundreds of millions of acres of land US-wide; and an established record of addressing human-caused threats to birds throughout the Americas, including domestic cats, pesticides, collisions with tall towers, and fisheries bycatch – an effort that has demonstrably saved millions of birds each year.

Russell Kingston presented Medal of the Order of Australia

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:43:00 GMT

Words by Sheryll Steele-Boyce (ABK Publications)

Russell Kingston was awarded, on 26 January 2010, the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for ‘Service to Aviculture in Queensland’. The Honours and Awards are bestowed by Her Majesty The Queen of Australia and Sovereign of the Order of Australia. The investiture ceremony was held Friday 7 May 2010 at 10am at Government House, Paddington, Queensland and conducted by the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AO. As part of the ceremony, Her Excellency spoke to Russell about aviculture and told him that she was well versed on aviculture in Australia. The recipients and guests joined Her Excellency for refreshments after the investiture followed by a cocktail party held in the evening at Parliament House, Brisbane. During the evening Russell addressed the assembled guests on aviculture.

This year, stately Government House Fernberg is celebrating 100 years of Vice-Regal residency at the property—Queensland Open Day will be held on Sunday 6 June 2010 to celebrate the occasion.

Walk Through Aviary Completed at Torquay College

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:58:00 GMT

Jessica, a Year 4 student, ensures the mixed collection of birds are provided soaked and sprouted seeds daily.

By David Pace

Torquay College has recently completed the final stage of its new Environmental Centre with the construction of a 30 metre long x 10 metre wide walk-in aviary.

The aviary was built over existing vegetation and provides the birds with natural bushland habitat. A range of species including over 60 birds have been released into the aviary. These consist of Rainbow Lorikeets, Scarlet-chested Parrots, Mulga Parrots, Bush Budgerigars, Green-winged Pigeons, Bronze-winged Pigeons, Spinifex Pigeons, Peaceful and Diamond Doves, Masked and Painted Finches, Red-browed and Diamond Firetails, Black-throated Finches, Cutthroats, Goldfinches, Madagascar Weavers and Cuban Finches.

The aviary, proudly supported by the Geelong Branch of the Aviculture Society of Australia—with several members having already donated birds—is attached to an Environmental classroom that contains naturalistic exhibits of marine, wetland, rainforest and desert habitats. A range of python, frog, lizard, insect and fish species can also be viewed.

ABK readers are warmly invited to visit the aviary and Environmental Centre by contacting David Pace directly on pace.david.j@edumail.vic.gov.au

Parrot Society of NZ Inc Celebrates 20th Anniversary at 2010 Convention

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:44:00 GMT

From left: Ferry Moorman, Jock Webster, Peter Odekerken and Paul Dixon. Photo ABK Publications.

Words by Sheryll Steele-Boyce (ABK Publications). Photographs by Peter Oderkeren.

What a friendly crew those Kiwis are! (Not that I am biased by my own roots!) I flew into Auckland along with a few Aussies on the weekend of 9–11 April 2010 to attend the 20^thanniversary and convention of the New Zealand Parrot Society. Peter Odekerken and Matt Baird from Australia together with Eric Antheunisse (USA) contributed presentations on international aviculture. I particularly enjoyed the presentations by Luis Ortiz-Catedral on Kakariki biology in the wild and Don Merton, who presented on his life efforts with conservation and vulnerable New Zealand parrot species, as well as avicultural topics. The calibre of information imparted by all speakers was excellent and enjoyed by all. The attendees included some long-time Australian BirdKeeper Magazine supporters including Gwenda Henson—great to meet the people behind the names.

It was a walk down memory lane when travelling on the aviary tour on the Sunday. Beautiful sunny weather provided a pleasant backdrop for the lovely properties we visited along the way. I was amazed at how Chris Paterson had carefully terraced his property to feature levels of beautiful gardens interspersed with aviaries displaying some lovely species.

Davy Jones, specialist Amazon parrot breeder and patron of the New Zealand Parrot Society, and his wife Joy, presented some delightful Amazon specimens including the Double Yellow-headed Amazon A. o. magna subspecies. Peter and Jocelyn Coyle’s property Totara Gardens was magnificent— no expense or effort had been spared in the propagation of rare and unusual plants. I doubt if you would witness a more extensive display of bromeliad, cycad, aloe, agave and succulent collection anywhere. Other features included a variety of historical garden art including melting pots and chimney pots. This garden is open on selected days and offers Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Find out more at http://www.totarawaters. co.nz.

Our final visit was to the quarantine and breeding facility Parrots International New Zealand, owned by Mary-Lee Sloan. From here Galahs, Corellas, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos and lorikeets are exported around the world. The Aussies cringed at the site of a set-up which should have been located in their own country!

I would like to extend my congratulations to President Paul Dixon, ably supported by Vice President Jim Trevett and other members of the committee on their efforts and success in staging an informative and highly enjoyable convention. I look forward to attending the next one.

Davey Jones—specialist Amazon parrot breeder                 NZ Parrot Society President
                                                                                                  Paul Dixon and Mary-Lee Sloan

Fun in Gunnedah

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:21:00 GMT

Words by ABK Publications
Photograph courtesy of Peter Odekerken
On Saturday 27 March 2010, one of the most popular bird sales in Australia was held in the country New South Wales town of Gunnedah.

Every year visitors from all Australian states book out the accommodation in this town to enjoy a great bird sale and each other. After the serious bird bartering during the day, everyone gathers at the infamous BBQ to swap a bird tale or two, do another bird deal and have some fun.

Some members of the Orange Bird Society—who also held a large popular bird sale just weeks before—arrived in style in their own limousine!

Orange Bird Society Bird Sale

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:32:00 GMT

Words by ABK Publications
Photographs courtesy of Shane Hancock

Birds and their breeders flocked to Orange recently to attend the annual bird sale held by The Orange Bird Society. Some 5000 birds were benched and attendees and trade displays personnel numbered over 2000 people.

The heavy rain did not seem to dampen spirits, however, it did make the task of handling large numbers difficult for the club organisers who had to erect marques between two buildings to provide a larger area for the event as there was not a suitable alternative site available to cater for this popular event. The Orange Mayor attended the venue—hopefully the much needed stadium planned will be ready for next year's sale!

Sheryll Steele Boyce of ABK Publications with bird breeder Paul Kruzen of Utopia Birds

Crowds fill one of the display areas

Trade display presenters Mikaela and Eeva of DNA sexing service—Molecular Diagnostic Services

Parrot Charity Rushes to Send Emergency Aid for Largest Ever Group of Confiscated Parrots

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:58:00 GMT

Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom

February 8, 2010
The World Parrot Trust (WPT) has sent emergency funds to aid in the treatment and housing of over 1000 Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus), the largest group of illegally trapped Grey Parrots ever seized in the country of Cameroon. The seizure, which occurred in early February, is the third such confiscation of this species in the country since December 2007. The aid is being directed to Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC) and the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA), two independent African wildlife rescue groups working with government officials to coordinate the seizures and subsequent care of the birds - in an attempt to reduce the trade in this species. This aid follows closely on the heels of emergency funding sent by the WPT in response to a smaller seizure of 300 birds in November of 2009.

Funds needed immediately; wildlife center inundated
The parrots were delivered to the Limbe Wildlife Center shortly after the confiscation, which was spearheaded by the Last Great Ape Organization. The shipment, which was scheduled to leave for Kuwait and Bahrain International Airports, respectively, was without proper documentation from international authorities. Upon arrival at Limbe it was discovered that 47 of the birds were already dead, with another 30 dying of thirst and stress on the first day. Simone de Vries, manager of Limbe, stated “It makes you sick to see how the parrots are packed in the boxes, the weaker ones trampled by the strongest.” The center has been inundated with the sudden appearance of the Greys, still having to deal with the remaining birds of the shipment from November of last year. The current group of parrots is being kept in ape quarantine enclosures, as there is nowhere else to house them.

Parrot populations declining
The Grey Parrot is listed as near threatened by the 2009 IUCN Red List, as evaluated by Bird Life International. Their threatened status is due to the persistent heavy trapping of these parrots for the wild bird trade. Illegal trapping continues in Cameroon, in spite of measures being taken by local and international communities.

International groups working together to end trade
The World Parrot Trust and its partners have recently launched the FlyFree program (www.parrots.org/flyfree), the first international campaign aimed specifically at providing support to front-line wildlife rescue groups working to end the wild-caught bird trade and return parrots to the wild, in more than a dozen locations worldwide.

Grey Parrots are transported in horrific conditions resulting in trauma and death