April and I have just returned from the International Parrot Symposium in Dublin, Ireland. We offer our heartfelt thanks to organizer Jerry Kidd for his warm welcome and the world class agenda that he arranged. We were in awe of many of the experts who flew in from around the world to offer presentations; yet the social atmosphere of the conference seemed to put everyone at ease.

The basic ideas for this article began to formulate during several of the lectures and after-hours discussions. A palpable message had been put forth in support of new import-export provisions allowing the trading of wild-trapped parrots, cockatoos from Australia, fertile psittacine eggs, and the like. This from persons involved in breeding of parrots at their own facilities.

Having been involved in pet parrot aviculture and retail for about 25 years, I have pondered all sides to such proposals. Many arguments are used to support the export trade - conserving species, increasing gene pool stock in captivity, saving of agricultural pest birds from danger, and the like. Frankly, I take all such points of view with a hearty ‘grain of salt’. The real reason certain persons favor increasing trade is financial. The profit margin on import/export psittacines is immensely higher than that for domestic raised, hand-fed parrots.

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