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ARCHIVED - More than 2,000 parrots culled in Madrid since May
The species poses a serious threat to wildlife across Spain
There are many invasive species in Spain which threaten the survival of the native flora and fauna, but few have caused such controversy as the common parrot, whose culling in Madrid has led to widespread protests and numerous heated political arguments.
Madrid City Council has killed 2,025 Argentine and Kramer’s parrots since May 5 of last year, almost 15% of the 13,553 specimens found in the area. In addition, 469 nests containing 56 eggs were removed and destroyed.
The non-native birds pose a huge threat to Spain’s ecosystem and while animal activists acknowledge this problem, many have called for “less bloody” alternatives such as sterilisation, with one representative likening the use of air rifles for culling parrots to “killing flies with cannon fire.”
However, SEO/BirdLife has rejected the use of sterilising feed or other non-selective methods to control the urban population since other birds, such as sparrows which are already in decline in Spain, could also ingest them. Head of the WWF Spain Species Program Laura Moreno has also argued that shooting the parrots has proven to be the only effective method.
In her opinion, in the case of invasive species, early warning and prevention are essential and the Government should launch a national strategy on parrots and open the debate on what to do with them based on two premises: cost/effectiveness and animal welfare.
Spain has the second largest population of Argentine parrot in the world with more than 20,000 birds spread across 140 municipalities, the majority of which are located in Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga. As for the Kramer, more than 3,000 specimens live in the wild in Spain, 2,000 of them in Seville. According to the experts, if the situation is not adequately addressed, these numbers could double in the next two years.
At the Puerta del Sol demonstrating by @SOScotorras pic.twitter.com/8QpM7wLW9W
— Ellen Uittenbogaard 🦜 (@ellenparrots) January 23, 2022
Thanks from Holland @Pacma_Madrid â€¼ï¸ https://t.co/l3nykNrmgR
Image: Salvemos a las cotorras de Madrid y Malaga
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