Parrots Seized at U.S.–Mexico Border Receive Veterinary Care and New Placements
Parrots seized at the U.S.–Mexico border received veterinary care. Orange-fronted conures passed their exams and moved to another accredited zoo.
Orange-fronted conures confiscated at the U.S.–Mexico border passed veterinary exams and were transferred to another accredited zoo for continued care, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced Nov. 12. The Bronx Zoo helped care for the parrots after federal authorities seized them in three separate cases over the past 17 months. The society did not name the zoo that received them.
The Bronx Zoo is also helping care for more than a dozen white-fronted Amazon parrots seized at the border in recent months. Some are at the Bronx Zoo’s World of Birds and others are at the Central Park Zoo. The Wildlife Conservation Society said the Amazons arrived in good condition and have continued to do well. Its announcement describes several confiscations and placements over time.
The orange-fronted conure is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It lives along the Pacific side of Mexico and Central America, where trapping for the pet trade has contributed to its disappearance from parts of its former range. White-fronted Amazons are classified as Least Concern, but they are also trapped for trade. Both species are covered by Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which regulates their international trade.
Why This Matters for Animals
When authorities seize live birds, they need somewhere to take them for veterinary exams and care. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified finding facilities that can meet the needs of different species as a practical challenge for officers. The Bronx Zoo says it provides veterinary assessments and quarantine space and helps arrange care for animals that cannot return to the wild.
Since 2022, the Bronx Zoo has assisted federal authorities with nine parrot confiscations involving more than 50 birds across seven species. The latest report gives a concrete outcome for the conures: they cleared their exams and moved to a facility equipped to care for them. The announcement describes a transfer between zoos, with no release into the wild reported.
The accompanying AI-generated illustration depicts a fictional white-fronted Amazon in an imagined woodland.
Source: Wildlife Conservation Society — November 12 announcement
