Grey Trapping

Concentrations at roosting, drinking and mineral marsh clearing sites make greys increasingly vulnerable to trapping pressure. Trappers start early in the mornings, at sites where greys have previously descended. They place their traps in the middle of the clearing and camouflage them before the birds arrive. The trappers bait the wild greys with caller birds and decoy birds. Being highly dependent on each other, seeing caller birds perched low in the trees signals that it is safe to venture lower in the forage. Decoy birds are placed on the grounds where the traps are with plants that the greys are after. When a significant number of birds have landed in the trap, it is sprung. The trappers would then enter the trap to pick the greys up and put them into boxes.

These greys are often kept in box or cages for weeks while the trappers consolidate their harvest. These birds are then put in crates, transported by cars on rudimentary roads for about 2 to 4 days to arrive at the exporting city where they are flown to more affluent markets in the world. These trapped birds are the livelihood of bird trappers. Emerging markets and increased use of container ships to move large numbers of birds continues to sour increase in trade levels. Traders are increasing the number of birds they transport at each time in extremely poor conditions resulting in tragic deaths of hundreds of wild grey parrots.