Why are African gray parrots threatened in the wild?

The African gray parrot is considered threatened primarily due to the intense pressure of the international pet trade. Between 1982 and 2001, nearly 660,000 of these birds were sold on the global market, with estimates suggesting that more than 300,000 additional parrots perished during the process of capture or transport.1

While the United States and the European Union have implemented bans on the importation of wild-caught specimens, significant demand persists in other regions, including the Middle East, East Asia, and within Africa itself. Because these parrots are highly social and intelligent, their popularity as pets has historically driven large-scale harvesting from the wild, which is ethically concerning given the high mortality rates associated with the trade and the resulting impact on wild populations.1