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| Too intelligent for its own good - the much-exploited African Grey |
AN autumn publication date has been set for a book which is likely to shine a spotlight on the trade in wild birds and other animals.
Because of its capacity to imitate human speech, the African Grey Parrot is now widely kept in cages and aviaries across the world.
But it has become increasingly scarce in the wild.
In her new work, American author Nancy Jacobs explores how the bird became an "international commodity".
The pre-launch publicity from Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books states: "Few animals have fascinated people like the Grey Parrot, celebrated for its intelligence, mimicry and uncanny ability to 'speak'.
"The Global Grey Parrot traces the remarkable history of this intriguing bird from West and Central African forests to markets and homes around the world.
"For centuries, the species lived as a social being within complex forest communities, sharing landscapes with African people who understood their calls, behaviour and ecological roles.
"That relationship changed dramatically with the expansion of Atlantic trade and European empire.
"As markets expanded, the birds themselves became commodities - captured, transported, and sold across continents as curiosities, pets and research subjects.
"Drawing on documentary research, fieldwork in Africa, and insights from ethology and environmental history, Nancy J. Jacobs reconstructs a five-century story of entanglement between humans and parrots.
"She reveals how colonial extraction, global capitalism and the international pet trade transformed a wild forest animal into an endangered species that now primarily reproduces and exists in captivity.
"The Global Grey Parrot offers a striking new perspective on how human desires reshaped the lives of animals and the world they inhabit."
The title is due to be published in hardback on November 3.
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