PERHAPS surprisingly, pet shop owners are among those supporting a Europe-wide ban on live bird imports to stem the tide of bird flu.

But with their livelihoods and reputations relying on animal sales, they are possibly good judges of the dangers of bringing exotic and domestic birds into Britain.

According to the RSPCA, 250,000 exotic wild birds are imported to the UK each year. Some species, such as the hyacinth macaw from South America, have been so heavily traded they are now listed as endangered.

The most popular species for pet owners in the UK are the grey parrot, Senegalese parrot and macaws with bird enthusiasts paying up to £1,000 in a British pet shop for a wild-caught grey parrot.

The ban covers parrots, caged birds, pigeons and birds of prey. It does not include personal imports of birds but there will be extra checks on people bringing more than five pet birds into a country.

Hayley Pope, 22, who owns Fiveways Pets in Charminster, said: "All our birds are locally bred. I am opposed to importing birds because it is so cruel.

"We probably sell only one or two parrots a year - the breeder lives in Wareham. If local breeders can't supply me with tame, hand-reared birds I won't stock them.

"There are too many health risks involved with importing birds. Selling them on will only create problems later. I know someone who imported birds but lost about a quarter of them. It's not worth an animal's life and I'd prefer to see a permanent ban."

Hayley's customers will pay £825 for a parrot.

"African greys are in most demand - they are fantastic birds and the best talkers," she said.

Assistant manager Tahnee Green said: "Birds get stressed very quickly. Parrots are very susceptible to depression. Once they are depressed they don't recover and will pluck all their feathers out. They are sociable creatures with the intelligence of a four-year-old child and need lots of stimulation.

"Putting them in quarantine really traumatises them because they need to interact. A parrot owner needs to be a very special person."

Neil Johnson, who owns Animal Kingdom in Parkstone, said: "The ban is a good idea. If it prevents bird flu coming into Britain it's worth it.

"I haven't imported a bird for the past three years.

"There's been no need because there are enough available locally and people will pay a bit more to have their birds bred in the UK. Parrots are normally bred in this country.

"I've noticed a drop in the sale of big birds but that's nothing to do with bird flu - people are cutting back on everything, even exotic birds. I've probably sold ten parrots this year - about half of sales in previous years.

"I believe migratory birds and pigeons crossing the channel are a much bigger risk of bringing bird flu to Britain. People with outside aviaries should be taking precautions."

Although better known for his work to end the illegal primate trade, Monkey World ape rescue centre director Jim Cronin has witnessed the cruelty of the illegal wild bird trade at first-hand.

"Protecting any endangered species is a cause close to my heart," he said.

"The illegal wild bird trade is a multi-million pound industry in England alone.

"While working undercover in South-East Asia we found an enormous market in trading birds and large bird smuggling rackets. We testified against a bird smuggler who had a £1 million-a-year turnover in this country and work closely with the police.

"The conditions many of these birds are kept in is fairly horrific. Vets should be required, by law, to examine the paperwork for any exotic or wild bird they treat and notify the government. All these measures would help protect the public from diseases such as bird flu.

"A one-month ban doesn't make any sense. Live bird imports should be banned until the threat of bird flu is under control."

First published: October 27