I recently bought a parrot that was very aggressive, unsociable and untamable. I later learned that the parrot was not domestically raised but captured in the wild and smuggled into the United States. Please educate the public on bird-smuggling and the problems these birds face.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that about 25,000 exotic birds are smuggled into the country every year. Most of these are from the parrot family. Other estimates put the number around 100,000. The birds are hidden in car door panels, suitcases or car trunks, and even in vases and small tubes.According to the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, many of these birds carry Newcastle disease and, because they are not quarantined, they spread this highly contagious disease to other birds nationwide.
Birds from foreign countries can legally enter the United States only after staying a minimum of 30 days in a USDA-approved quarantine station. Imported birds must wear a uniquely coded, traceable leg band following release from quarantine.
Often when smuggled birds arrive at U.S. ports many are dead. Birds from places such as Africa, Asia and South America die of the trauma of capture, brutal mishandling, hunger and thirst, gross overcrowding and disease aggravated by stress. Aircraft holds in which the birds are carried are often not properly ventilated or pressurized. Temperatures may vary from below freezing to above 100 degrees. Delays can result in days spent in airport holding areas with the birds getting neither food nor water.
Military Macaws are an endangered species and commercial trade is now prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Yet thousands have been seized at the Mexican border - crammed into small crates - with a high proportion of dead mixed in with the survivors.
Birds that are on the endangered list are imported using documents that are falsified by corrupt officials. Even operators of quarantine stations within the United States have been convicted of bird smuggling.
So, buyers beware; smuggled birds may seem to be a great bargain, but the initial low price of such a bird may be offset by frustration when the bird does not become tame or a desirable companion. You may also face high veterinary bills because of a bird's hidden illnesses. Although their initial price is higher, domestically raised, hand-fed birds will make much better companions.
Before adopting a parrot be sure you know all about caring for the bird and, most importantly, that it was raised in captivity. The only way to curb smuggling and cruelty toward birds is to curtail the public demand for wild birds, through both legislation and education.
If you have a question about health, behavior problems, laws, etc., regarding wild or domestic animals, please write Humane Education Department, Salt Lake County Animal Services, 511 W. 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84123 or call 264-2247.