Wild parrot trapping for the pet trade causes severe welfare harm across supply chains and threatens populations of multiple species, with mortality rates from capture to sale exceeding 80% in some pathways.
Wild-caught parrots experience the trauma of capture from social groups, confinement in transport containers, and the mortality of supply chain transit — starvation, disease, and stress killing the majority before they reach buyers. Surviving parrots arrive in depleted health and may never recover normal behavioral repertoires. Supporting captive-bred parrots from reputable sources eliminates demand for wild-caught birds.