Stirring Summit

Photo by Jithin Vijayamohanan on Unsplash

More than one hundred people who are passionate about parrots gathered together online this past Friday and Saturday, October 4 and 5, 2024, for the first Parrot Crisis Summit organized by the International Alliance for the Protection of Parrots, otherwise known as the IAPP. One Earth Conservation is a founding member of the IAPP and was one of the main organizers of the 2024 Summit.

Each day began with stirring keynote talks by Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner on Day One, who spoke about Transformative Parrot Conservation, Care, and Advocacy, and Dr. Lori Gruen on Day Two, who spoke about Our Entangled Relationships with Parrots. Then, panelists on both days provided information and inspiration to all who attended by focusing on specific and intersecting aspects of the crisis. Tears glistened in the eyes of many during some of the more challenging moments, especially as together we watched videos submitted by people around the world advocating for the parrots they love. At the end of each day, attendees were able to join various breakout groups to connect and talk among themselves about what they learned each day and possible solutions. The overarching theme of the entire Summit was the urgent need to stop the demand for parrots as pets, which is driving the entire crisis. And all involved emphasized the importance of everyone connecting and working together in the future.

Please note that, as soon as we can, the small group of conference organizers will be posting recordings of all sessions, pdf files of some of the slides, and other resources on the IAPP website (https://www.allianceforparrots.org/). In the meantime, you can read below a summary of the topics covered by the various panels and other presenters at the Summit. A follow up meeting has been scheduled for October 24, 2024, at 4pm EDT. Please check in the days ahead the IAPP website for more information about this meeting and other ways to get involved.

Photo by Jairo Alzate on Unsplash

Facilitated on Day One by Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner of One Earth Conservation, the members of the Harm to Parrots in the Wild panel spoke about the huge number of wild birds that are lost as they move from poachers through “middlemen” to sellers and finally to “owners,” who often are not aware of how difficult it is to properly care for a captive parrot. Kurt Duchez of Wildlife Conservation International raised attendees’ awareness of a new trend in the illegal parrot trade, which is to illegally take eggs from nests and transport them out of their native countries rather than already hatched chicks or adults. Juan Carlos Cantu from the Mexican NGO Teyeliz discussed the success of legislation passed in Mexico that bans the sale of any parrots in that country, which has significantly decreased the demand for parrots as pets there. Bonnie Zimmerman of the Indonesian Parrot Project and LoraKim Joyner of One Earth Conservation both spoke about the history of the parrot trade in Asia and the Americas respectively, as well as the difference being made, and challenges faced, by community conservation projects that are working to stem the illegal trade.

Also on Day One, the Harm to Parrots in Captivity​ panel, facilitated by Dr. Anthony Pilny of the Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital, focused exclusively on the plight of parrots in sanctuaries and rescues, in people’s homes, in pet stores, and those raised and kept by breeders. Anthony talked about the unique situation of parrots, the most endangered type of birds in the world, due to the demand for them as pets. Parrots, along with crows and related birds in the family Corvidae, are the most intelligent birds and therefore suffer from serious welfare challenges. Avian wildlife veterinarian Dr. Diana Pesole, who works at Itaipu Binacional and Proyecto Canindeyú in Paraguay, went into detail about the severe welfare issues parrots suffer from in captivity. Amanda Coleman of Foster Parrots gave an overview of the reasons parrots are surrendered to sanctuaries and rescue organizations and the terrible suffering many of these birds have endured. She also focused on the exponentially rising trend of owners wanting to surrender their pet parrots. Liz Cabrera Holtz from World Animal Protection spoke specifically on the suffering of parrots that are bred for the pet trade and sold through pet stores.

Day Two began with the Harm to Peoples When Parrots are Harmed​ panel. After facilitator Gail Koelln of One Earth Conservation offered an overview of the topic, Irene-Rose Madindou who works at the National Museums of Kenya, spoke about the status of Grey Parrots in Kenya, the ignorance among people in Kenya about their native parrots, and the huge red tape faced by people in the country who want to learn more about and help these birds. The next panelist was Hector Portillo of the Honduran NGO INCEBIO and who is also on the Board of One Earth Conservation. Hector focused on how Honduras is the most dangerous place in the world to be an environmentalist, where many people doing this work have lost their lives. Janet Trumbule from the Oasis Sanctuary Foundation in Arizona spoke movingly of the trauma and compassion fatigue faced by people who work in sanctuaries and rescue groups from seeing the huge amount of physical and emotional harm suffered by numerous captive parrots. Dr. Lori Gruen from Wesleyan University talked about the importance of building bridges with allies, such as human rights and animal welfare organizations, and encouraging people to engage in self-care.

The final Summit panel, facilitated by Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner, focused on the Harm to Ecosystems and the Climate. The first panelist, Dr. Lisa Paravisini-Gebert of Vassar College, discussed the impact of climate change on parrot species in the Caribbean and the importance of restoring and expanding key habitats for parrots. The next panelist was Dr. David Vergara-Tabares, who works with Diversity and Animal Ecology Institute UNC-CONICET and Department of Biological Diversity and Ecology, National University of Córdoba, Argentina. David looked at how parrots benefit ecosystems and how habitat destruction impacts parrots worldwide. Next, Dr. Katherine Renton of the National Autonomous University of Mexico spoke about how parrots depend on conserved forests and are an integral part of tropical forests. Last, but definitely not least, California-based avian wildlife veterinarian Dr. Pat Latas gave an overview of how ecosystem degradation can drive wild parrots into cities, transforming them into urban parrots, how widespread these birds are, and issues, both negative and positive, related specifically to urban parrots.