Photo of violet necked lories by ProFauna Indonesia

Many countries permit the harvesting of their native parrots for the pet trade, a huge industry worldwide. However, most impose a legal limit that is meant to prevent over-trapping to avoid a decrease in the numbers in wild population. By “impose” I mean write into law – most governments do little to actually enforce those laws.

In actuality, wild parrot populations are dropping dramatically. Of course, it can’t all be blamed on trapping. Deforestation has had a devastating effect on wild parrot species. But ...