Mexico Bans Parrot Exports
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa in October signed into law a bill to ban the capture and export of Mexican wild parrots.
The bill, introduced in October 2007, was drafted in response to a 2007 report entitled “The Illegal Parrot Trade in Mexico: A Comprehensive Assessment,” according to Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington-based group that co-authored the report.
According to a press release issued by the organization, an estimated 65,000 to 78,500 wild parrots and macaws are captured illegally each year, and more than 75 percent of the birds die before reaching a purchaser.
Mexico is home to 22 species of parrots and macaws, and approximately 90 percent of them are in some category of risk: 11 species are endangered, five are threatened and four require special protection, Defenders of Wildlife said.
The organization hailed passage of the law as a milestone to address conservation and recovery of the birds. [February 2009 PET AGE]
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