I have started this petition out of grave concern and very limited time; on behalf of two Non-native parrot species in Spain. The city of Seville, recently announced a plan to capture and kill thousands of Monk/Argentinian Parrots ( Myiopsitta Monachus), and Indian Ring-necked/Kramer Parrots ( Psittacula Krameri). Here is the latest news to date from a Spanish newspaper: "Live capture will take place between October 2019 and March 2020, and from February to May - laying period - the sterilization of eggs in nests will be undertaken. Trap cages and nets should be respectful of animal welfare and have food and water. Birds will be slaughtered by a veterinarian following the legally established protocols."

Here is more, from another article "The method chosen to contain the pest provides for the "live capture" of the parrots to avoid altering animal welfare. How will they do it? For example through capture networks. Once they have a large number of parrots, following a legal protocol specific to the 'final disposition of animals' and with a veterinarian present, they are sacrificed.”The second phase of this two-part plan, will be the collection and destruction of eggs in all nests.

These parrots are just living their bird lives, unaware that soon their worlds will  be turned upside down. One's heart breaks just to imagine them in the exact moment of mass capture; terrified and torn away from their babies and their mates. How many birds will get injured during this trapping by nets? How long will they suffer in pain, crowded in cages without veterinary assistance, only to wait for the final moment when enough have been 'collected'? Then will come that horrifying moment when they realize they are being put to their communal deaths, leaving this earth screaming, and in complete and utter fear. What is proposed and imminent to their fate is unethical and unconscionable. It is beyond cruel to snuff out the beating hearts of healthy, sentient creatures who are just trying to get by in this world.

There is very little evidence that either of these parrots are to blame as an impact to other wildlife,  NO evidence at all points to the MP (Monk Parakeet), and barely any; (mostly a few anecdotal reports), pointing to altercations between the RNP. and the Greater Noctule bat over competition over tree hollow nest spaces. The Monk parakeet is one of the very few parrots who is NOT a tree cavity dweller, building its own nests high up in the trees.  

It would be a tragedy if the culls of Zaragoza and other cities, were to be repeated again and thousands of  innocent lives were to be lost again, in what basically comes down to a slaughter. These parrots are highly intelligent, charismatic beings; with proven cognitive abilities.They live in complex, social communities of flocks and are faithful and monogamous to their chosen mates. 

Please join me as a concerned citizen of the world to prevent this irrevocable tragedy, and to raise public awareness. Be an advocate for those who have no voice to plead their own cause. We need to buy these birds some valuable time while we continue to seek and demand humane alternatives and solutions. Please don't let the light from their eyes and the joyous songs in their hearts be extinguished forever.

Both species of parrots were introduced into non-native countries such as Spain through no fault of their own, stolen from their native, natural habitats and then sold for profit as pets, prior to the European ban on bird imports in 2005. Neither species is a migratory bird and because of man's often callous negligence, through intentional or accidental release, they ended up where they are.

This is a case of blaming two species without ample, science-based evidence as being a threat to another two species who should have been better protected in the first place, and who are endangered due to a whole host of reasons, mostly all being environmental in nature and directly linked to man and his activities.

As a society, we are directly responsible for any issues that have derived from the Worldwide Exotic Pet Trade. “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince.                                                                                            

 

*Conservation Threats to the Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni): Intensification of agriculture, both in the breeding and in the wintering areas are a major problem [Mebs & Schmidt 2006]. Intensive agriculture reduces their prey (large insects) and the pesticides may also accumulate in the falcons themselves. The destruction of old buildings used by the falcons takes away their nesting places.

*Conservation Threats to the Greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) : Little is known about potential threats, but loss of mature woodland and loss of or disturbance to roost sites (old trees) have a negative impact on the species. In Cádiz (Southern Spain) it is estimated that a hundred Giant noctules are killed each year by wind turbines (Ibáñez and Sánchez-Navarro, submitted), and more individuals have been found in other regions such as Soria and Navarra (Alcalde pers. comm. 2015). Exceptionally, all pups were found dead in 2005 at one of the two largest colonies in Spain (located in a city park). The cause of these deaths was not known (Juste pers. comm. 2006). One colony disappeared in Spain due to the cutting of old trees in a city park (Juste 2007), and the same seems to have happened in a Ukrainian forest (Vlaschenko et al. 2010).

*Lesser kestrels feed mainly on invertebrates such as field-crickets, grasshoppers, bush-crickets , mole-crickets and beetles, and sometimes small birds, reptiles and rodents. .

*Greater noctule bats are the largest and least studied bat in Europe, and are one of the few bat species to feed on small birds. They are the only bat to hunt birds on the wing, rather than when roosting.

*Monk parakeets feed mainly on seeds, fruits, flowers and leaf buds, both in trees and on the ground.

*Indian Ring-necked parrots feed on a great variety of fruits and seeds, as well as both wild and ornamental plants.

Please sign and SHARE far and wide. WE need to build a real momentum if their precious lives are to be saved at all! They need us! Please be their voice, your actions matters so VERY much!