Environmentalists have warned that endangered parrots are being driven towards extinction after an undercover investigation discovered birds being increasingly trafficked for the lucrative “exotic” pet trade.
New video evidence reveals poachers trapping African grey parrots and cramming them into crates to be flown abroad.
The multi-billion-pound industry is fuelled by buyers in Asia and the Middle East who prize the birds for their intelligence and mimicry abilities.
The filmmakers saw hunters using one bird as bait to lure others, stuck with glue, before the group is taken and their feathers hacked off to prevent them escaping.
Three in four African greys suffocate or die of starvation or disease in transit, the investigators found.
The trafficking of endangered African grey parrots for the pet trade
They say both the legal and illegal trade in the birds has caused a “catastrophic” drop in numbers, with up to three million poached over 40 years and a fall of up to 79 per cent in 50 years.
The internet has enabled trade in wild animals to flourish, and the African grey parrot is one of the world’s most illegally trafficked birds.
In August, more than 60 were found dead after being flown on Turkish Airlinesbetween Kinshasa and Kuwait via Istanbul, according to World Animal Protection (WAP).
The charity’s investigators claim the airline and its cargo carrier have been used to transport wild-caught African greys on flights from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Mali.
“Lack of staff training and insufficient checks by Turkish Airlines are contributing to the trafficking of these parrots, despite having signed a royal wildlife protection declaration led by Prince William,” WAP said.
The airline did not respond to requests by The Independent to comment.
It is estimated that a fifth of wild African greys are taken for the pet trade each year.
Populations have tumbled by 99 per cent in Ghana and are now extinct in Togo.
Those that do survive the journeys are denied their freedom and often poorly fed, WAP believes.
Independent
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