Canada and the US have a large illegal trade market for Mexican parrots and other endangered wildlife. These parrots are found for sale online, in pet stores, and sold by individuals.

Mexico has 22 species of parrots and macaws, all officially categorized as at risk: 11 species are endangered, 7 species are threatened, and 4 species are under special protection.

In 2007, TEYELIZ documented that more than 78,000 parrots were illegally captured yearly. 77% died before reaching a consumer, resulting in 60,000 dead parrots annually. This means that 8 out of 10 parrots die during the processes of capture, collection, transport, distribution, and sale. In other words, for every parrot a consumer buys, 4 parrots die on the way from capture to sale.

The capture of parrots has been an activity carried out in Mexico for centuries. In modern times, parrots are legally and illegally overexploited, leading them to a critical conservation status. In fact, most of the wild parrots and macaws for sale in North America come from the illegal trade.

In 2022, TEYELIZ published a review of the illegal trade of parrots in Mexico, and our recent estimate indicates that from 2009 to 2021, the illegal trade decreased by 47.14%. (Please read the full reports below by clicking on them).

The annual illicit capture of parrots is now estimated to be in the range of 34,000 to 41,500 parrots.

Unfortunately, this is not enough. To guarantee the survival of most parrot species, the illegal trade must decrease by 80% to 90%.

For this reason, IAFAF has now joined TEYELIZ to support the great work they are doing at CITES and at a national level in Mexico to help protect and conserve the critically endangered Mexican parrots, owls, jaguars, and other wild felines, primates, amphibians, and more.

Sadly, where there is demand, there will be people profiting from wild animals. We urge you not to buy endangered wildlife. Purchasing endangered parrots or any wild animal often supports and maintains the cruel illegal businesses exploiting wild animals in Mexico to be sold as exotic pets.

It is NOT COOL to have wild animals in apartments or homes. In the trafficking of exotic birds, barely 2 out of 10 arrive alive at the market. Eight of these birds perish in transit under horrific conditions: suffocated, tied, starved, drugged, beaten, or dying from heat, mistreatment, and the terrible methods used to poach and extract them illegally inside bottles, tires, engines, suitcases, etc.

We can all help protect them and reduce their illegal trade in Mexico while also preventing them from coming to Canada and the USA. (The traders always find ways to deceive the authorities to take them abroad).

But we cannot do it without your support to help us combat the illegal trade of wildlife.

Your support will create more awareness about this problem, so we kindly ask you to support our work with a donation (or monthly donation) so that we can continue our educational campaigns and scientific reports to reduce the demand for many endangered parrots and other threatened species of wild animals in Mexico—and abroad—so that they can remain free, safe, and alive in the forests where they truly belong.

You can learn more about TEYELIZ A.C. here: https://teyeliz.org/