On May 12, a judge in Uganda’s specialized court for wildlife crimes sentenced Bob Mbaya Kabongo to a seven year jail term for smuggling 122 African grey parrots into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His arrest and swift prosecution and sentencing has been welcomed by conservation organizations as well as the Uganda […]
Tag: Psittacus erithacus
Uncovered: India’s illegal wild bird trade hub
A photograph of serried ranks of dead native birds including barbets, malkohas and doves is a stark illustration of India’s bird trade crisis, which encompasses both domestic consumption and international trade. “In northeast India, open sale of wild birds for food is rampant,” says Anuj Jain, BirdLife Asia’s Bird Trade Coordinator, who is working with […]
‘Catastrophic’ decline: nearly 99% of African grey parrots wiped out in Ghana
African grey parrots are known to be smart, talented mimics. Alex, one of the most well-known African grey parrots in the world, could mimic over 100 human words, differentiate between various shapes and numbers, and would even wish his trainer “goodnight”. Predictably, these birds are extremely popular as pets. But their popularity has taken a […]
Illegally captured parrots finally free to fly
In 2010, Bulgarian airport authorities confiscated 108 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) from a smuggler. Last month, the 28 parrots who survived the stress of being stuffed into dog kennels, constantly handled by humans, and the absence of their native habitat, completed their three-year journey to freedom. The journey began late one afternoon in 2010, […]
Flight of Freedom…
Some years ago, I used to think that an African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) would make a great pet… that is until I actually saw where they came from. Their roots lie deep within the lush rainforest and that is where they truly deserve to be. As these amazing and colourful birds effortlessly winged their […]