“Grey parrots are one of Africa’s treasures, and seeing them bank and wheel in the skies in noisy flocks, or chatter in the canopies as they forage is a delight and privilege. They surely represent freedom in its purest form. But gray parrots are also the epitome of life behind bars. These intelligent, enigmatic birds are perhaps best known as the feathered entertainers that chirp, wolf-whistle and mimic their way into our hearts from cages in homes across the globe. So this is the story of a special bird that is vanishing from Africa’s forests as fast as morning mist under a tropical sun, and how our fascination for a species can lead to its extermination from the wild.
“The history of the gray parrot’s domestication dates at least as far back as 2000 BC with Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly depicting gray parrots as pets. The ancient Greeks also valued them, as did wealthy Romans who often kept them in ornate cages….”
by SIMON ESPLEY
Source: magazine.africageographic.com
GR: We have no moral right to capture and imprison wild animals. The species we take have families and societies, they feel fear and loneliness, and they play important roles in natural ecosystems. This insensitive practice by humans has created a commercial enterprise that threatens extinction for many species.
