I'm a proud caregiver to several conures. These incredible creatures are intelligent, affectionate, and full of life. But I've become increasingly dismayed by the widespread mistreatments they suffer in the world of breeding. Heartbreakingly, many parrots, including conures, are kept in unspeakable conditions, with wholly inadequate diets, due to the alarming lack of oversight within the breeding industry. To put it bluntly, there are no specific inspections, regulations, or licensing requirements in place to ensure the ethical treatment of these sentient beings. Unfortunately, this is a problem we can't afford to ignore any longer.

Unscrupulous breeders across the country are capitalizing on these grey areas, often treating these birds as mere commodities. Studies have shown that parrots have the intelligence and emotional development comparable to a 5-year-old human child. They are capable of not just mimicry, but understanding language, recognizing themselves in a mirror, and even understanding abstract concepts (Pepperberg, 2002).

Parrots and conures are beautiful souls and they deserve much better. For their sake, the industry must be held to a high standard of ethics and accountability. It's time to mandate regular inspections, stricter regulations, and licensing for bird breeders. It's time to show respect to these feathered friends who can give us so much joy and companionship. Please, sign this petition, and help us bring a vital change for the welfare of parrots and conures nationwide.

First we will try to alter the current practice and standards towards licensing, eventually I would like to set up a non-profit that benefits ethical and welfare focused sellers and/or breeders. Adding to this we can all use social media to spread awareness, as even without government intervention, with enough awareness we could change the system at the root of the issue, with us, the buyers and adoptive parents.