First, poaching is illegal. Secondly, poaching practices have caused the extinction of several types of parrots. Unless real changes are made, more breeds of parrots will go extinct. But the most horrible part of illegal poaching is the smuggling process. Macaws are violently stolen from the nest before they fledge (leave the nest). They are often pinioned (a tendon is severed in the wing) so that they can never fly again. Then they are often stuffed into PVC tubes, and those tubes are crammed into suitcases so that the young parrots can be smuggled through customs and into a wealthy country. Two thirds of macaws transported in this way die before they are “unpacked.” The one third that survive have been driven insane from the trauma and confinement. Subsequently, the survivors are usually extremely difficult to handle due to trauma-related fear and aggression.

 

 

 

 

Garuda Aviary
18400 River rd. Poolesville, MD. 20837
E-mail:    GarudaAviary@earthlink.net