A trial registration system supplying all parrots with identification papers will be rolled out in southern Taiwan April 1, in a partnership with the Kaohsiung Ornamental Bird Association, the Forestry Bureau announced March 20.
If the test goes well, the program will be extended to cover the entire country, and in the future, all pets will be brought into a “passport” system.
Forestry Bureau section head Lin Kuo-chang said only four smaller species of the entire 300 species of parrots in the world are not internationally protected. Parrots come under appendices two and three of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and can still be artificially bred and sold within Taiwan. Likewise, they do not fall under the scope of Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act.
However, the question of whether parrots that are bought and sold by those in the business are actually protected species is still controversial. Lin said under the new program people in southern Taiwan who keep parrots will need to register them with the Kaohsiung Ornamental Bird Association’s member stores. Purchasers of parrots should ask for a related certificate from the store.
Lin also said people in northern Taiwan dislike noise, and tend to keep smaller birds as a result. But those in the south like to buy full-sized parrots. Moreover, parrot-breeding techniques in Taiwan are quite advanced, to the point that birds are exported to Japan and the United States. It is estimated that the parrot trade is worth about NT$7 billion (US$236.61 million) a year.
Mr. Ye, the owner of a parrot farm near the Tounan Interchange in Yunlin, said that because parrots come in such vibrant colors, and some can learn to talk and even sing, they have become more and more popular.
Parrot traders said locally bred parrots aside, the majority of imported parrots are quarantined and certified in Singapore before being imported to Taiwan. After the registration program is initiated, those who keep parrots will no longer need to worry whether a bird has been purchased in contravention of international law, and even if the bird goes missing, there will be some basis to get help in searching for it. For buyers and sellers alike, this provides an additional guarantee.
The traders added that parrot prices can vary wildly. For example, an ornamental type like the Sun Conure can sell for over NT$10,000 a pair, while a large type like the Pink-breasted Cockatoo can command NT$100,000. And the most basic speaking abilities, such as the talent of the Monk parrot variety, put the price of a parrot pair up to between NT$12,000 and NT$16,000.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times March 21.)